Novel Approach to Gait Angle Measurement using Tri-axial MEMS Accelerometer

Today's world is witnessing an increasing number of ambulatory disorders, be it resulting from nervous problem or increasing rates of accidents. So a solution for the destitute in the form of powered exoskeleton is the need of the hour. This technology development and control requires a feedback of various Gait parameters. Moreover, the measurement of human joint angles is an important aspect of various clinical studies. Recent development in MEMS technologies has given rise to availability of low cost, light weight and high precision char- acteristics sensors. This paper presents a human gait detection system based on tri-axial accelerometer (ADXL-335). Raw data from accelerometers are acquired using Arduino Uno board, which is further processed in Lab VIEW for analyzing variation of the lower limb joint angles during human gait. Trials were carried out on human subject for studying the variations of these parameters under different gait protocols and environment. The results are tested with a standard goniometer module. These joint angle data are crucial for identifying different gait phases and is used as feedback for trajectory based control of the Gait Assistive Exoskeleton.