Abstract
In recent years, wearable sensors that enable gait analysis in a living environment without using force plates or motion capture systems have been developed. We conducted gait analysis using a shoe sole sensor system with four high-capacity compact triaxial force sensors and an inertial sensor mounted on the shoe sole. The system measured and compared the magnitude and variation (CV: coefficient of variation) of foot clearance and ground reaction force for young and older adult participants while walking in a straight line under test and non-test environment. Participants walked in a "test environment" in which they were told that gait parameters would be measured, and in a "non-test environment" in which they walked as usual without being told that they would be measured. We found that the minimum and maximum foot clearances were larger in the test environment but more varied in the non-test environment for both young and older adult participants. The results indicate that the over exertion during the gait under test environment may have improved their performance. The variation of ground reaction forces was reduced under non-test environment compared to under test environment.
