A study on estimation of body segment parameters using wearable sensor system

Abstract

The aim of this study is to establish the estimation method of body parameter using wearable sensor system. The wearable motion sensor installs gyro sensor, acceleration sensor and magnetic field sensor, and this sensor outputs angular velocity, acceleration and magnetic field. The output of acceleration sensor attached to body segment includes the centrifugal and tangential acceleration components, and these components include the position vector from the joint to the sensor. The proposed method estimates the position vector from the joint to the sensor by using the output of wearable motion sensor. Furthermore, the position vector is focused the component of 1-axis direction. We conducted the measurement experiment of bending exercises by a subject attaching the wearable motion sensors. The position vector from foot joint to the motion sensor attaching to lower thigh is estimated. The position vector indicated the similar result against the length measured using other method. We indicated that the proposed method can use in actual body motion measurement. Therefore, the method can be used for the development of more simply motion measurement method in the motion analysis using wearable motion sensor.