Developing Leg-motion Measurement System using Acceleration Sensors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a new system for measuring leg motions using a portable three-dimensional accelerometer applied to five positons of a lumber vertebra, and left and right lower limbs. The measuring system was composed of acceleration sensors, harnesses of which resin material for a subject was removed, a portable data logger with a Bluetooth module mounted, a personal computer, a software for both monitoring and evaluating signals from the acceleration sensors, and a Web camera. The portable data logger had the ability to simultaneously sample the data of maximal 24 signals. The average acceleration measured during the walk was related to the score of Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence and that of fall risk assessment score sheet. Thus, the new system for measuring leg motions using a portable three-dimensional accelerometer seems to be a useful tool to estimate the fall risk during the walk.