In today’s world, smartphones are more than just communication tools. With built-in sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes, these devices are revolutionizing healthcare by offering affordable solutions to monitor our physical well-being. One exciting application is gait asymmetry detection, which plays a crucial role in identifying walking irregularities caused by conditions like stroke or musculoskeletal disorders.
Why Gait Monitoring Matters
Gait, or the way we walk, provides significant insights into our health. For individuals recovering from a stroke or injury, detecting differences between the right and left leg movements (gait asymmetry) can highlight mobility issues early. Traditionally, assessing gait requires specialized equipment, frequent visits to healthcare professionals, and costly wearables. These solutions are often inaccessible for many.
The Smartphone Solution
What if you could assess your gait using only your phone? That’s exactly what this research explores. By leveraging a smartphone’s Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope), researchers developed an easy-to-use system to detect gait cycle events and identify asymmetries between the legs.
Here’s how it works:
- Simple Setup: Place your phone in your pants pocket (left or right thigh).
- 10-Second Walk Test: Walk for 10 seconds while the phone collects sensor data.
- Repeat: Switch the phone to the other pocket and repeat the test.
The IMU data records your movements, which are then analyzed to detect irregularities between the two legs. The system compares gait cycles and identifies inconsistencies, offering insights into which leg may be affected.
Why This Matters
- Accessibility: No expensive devices or specialists are needed. A smartphone alone can do the job.
- Remote Monitoring: Patients can perform the test at home, making it ideal for telehealth and ongoing monitoring.
- Early Diagnosis: Detecting gait asymmetries early can lead to quicker interventions, improving recovery outcomes.
Promising Results
In trials involving multiple gait strategies—such as normal walking or simulated asymmetric movements—the system successfully identified gait cycle events and differences with impressive accuracy. While some limitations remain, such as ensuring consistent phone placement, the results demonstrate the potential of smartphones as cost-effective alternatives to traditional methods.
What’s Next?
Future work will focus on validating the system against gold-standard techniques like wearable accelerometers and video-based motion capture systems. Researchers also plan to assess real-world data from stroke patients and explore integration with smartwatches.
A Step Towards Smarter, Affordable Healthcare
By turning everyday smartphones into powerful tools for gait analysis, this innovation bridges the gap between technology and healthcare. It provides a solution that’s affordable, accessible, and effective, empowering individuals to take control of their health from the comfort of their homes.
BioAssist had the distinct honor of participating in the international IECBES2024 conference, organized by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) – Malaysia Chapter and hosted in the city of Penang, Malaysia. The conference served as a benchmark for the presentation of cutting-edge research and applications in the field of biomedical technology.
BioAssist showcased its innovative research, focusing on the use of smartphone sensors for gait asymmetry detection. Mr. Dionysios Koulouris represented the team, highlighting how modern mobile device technologies can be leveraged to detect gait cycle events and identify mobility asymmetries. This approach offers an accessible and cost-effective solution for remote health monitoring, advancing telemedicine and enabling the early diagnosis of mobility disorders.
Additionally, the conference featured distinguished speakers such as Prof. Dr. Vasily Moshnyaga, Prof. Geoff Chase, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spyretta Golema, who presented groundbreaking applications of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies in healthcare.
BioAssist’s participation in IECBES2024 underscores its commitment to innovation and the development of technologies aimed at enhancing quality of life and promoting the capabilities of modern medical practice.