Validation of a novel wearable sensor system during non-lab over-ground walking

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease associated with pain, loss of mobility and reduced quality of life. There is no cure for OA, and treatment for many people involves expensive surgeries or drugs that carry risky side effects. New treatments, including changing the way people walk – termed gait modification – have been developed to slow disease progression and improve symptoms, while reducing the risk of side effects and economic cost. However, analysis and instruction of gait modification has been limited to expensive and inaccessible laboratory settings. Recent technological advances using sensors worn on the body (wearable sensors) have become a realistic option to analyze walking in natural settings and for longer durations, something not previously possible in a lab. This is important to understand how people walk in the real world, and whether or not treatments actually work outside of controlled laboratory settings. Before important studies can be conducted, these sensors must be tested in the real world and optimized for patient use. Therefore the purpose of this project is to validate shoe-worn sensors which measure walking movements outside of the lab setting.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Hunt

Student:

Partner:

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: