Application of Force and Inertial Sensors to Monitor the Usage of Walker Assistive Devices

摘要

Walker assistive devices should be used properly in order to provide maximum safety and comfort to the user. We define two risk indexes to monitor walker usage, one related with force unbalance, and the other related with motor incoordination. We present a measurement system capable of measuring these two indexes and prevent potential risk situations. Force unbalance is measured using load cells attached to the walker legs. Motor incoordination is estimated by synchronizing force measurements with kinematic data provided by an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The measurement system is equipped with a Bluetooth link that enables local supervision on a computer or smartphone. Calibration and experimental results are included in the paper.