A tele-monitoring system for gait rehabilitation with an inertial measurement unit and a shoe-type ground reaction force sensor

In this paper, a tele-monitoring system is proposed, using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a shoe-type ground reaction force (GRF) sensor called a Smart Shoe to measure a patient’s walking data, and transmitting the measured data via the Internet. In our previous work, a mobile gait-monitoring system was developed, which provided visual feedback based on GRFs measured by a Smart Shoe (used as a mobile platform). However, the limited information provided by the Smart Shoe alone may not be adequate for a tele-monitoring system using the Internet. In the present tele-monitoring system for gait rehabilitation, a Smart Shoe is combined with an IMU for detailed monitoring of walking motions. By analyzing the signals from the IMU and the Smart Shoe, foot trajectories, walking distance, length of stride, etc., can be estimated. A user-friendly graphic interface displays the measured or estimated data on separate computers at the patient’s location and the physical therapist’s office. Thus, using the proposed system, it is possible to monitor a patient’s walking motion via the Internet, without restrictions on time or place.