Can your smartphone help diagnose neurological conditions like stroke? A recent study explores the potential of using built-in Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors—accelerometer and gyroscope—to detect gait asymmetries in real-world conditions.
Researchers developed a simple 10-second walking test using only a phone placed in the front thigh pocket. The phone records motion data, which is then analyzed via a cloud platform to identify gait events and detect differences between the right and left leg gait cycles.
This approach offers a low-cost, accessible solution for early detection of gait abnormalities and remote patient monitoring. Preliminary results are promising, suggesting that everyday devices can be a viable alternative to clinical gait analysis tools.
Next steps include validating the system against gold standard methods and testing with stroke patients.
Read the full paper on IEEE Xplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10990933