KINEMAGICS Project

Title	3D kinematics for clinical gait analysis using wearable sensors
Dates	From 03.2020 to 07.2021
Principal investigator	Stéphane Armand (K-Lab, UNIGE/HUG)
Other investigators	Lena Carcreff (K-Lab, UNIGE/HUG)
Institutional collaborations	Gait Up SA, Renens, Switzerland
Funding	Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation Agency
Keywords	Mobile clinical gait analysis; Kinematics; Wearable sensors; Inertial measurement units; Clinical application
Website	Not available.
Related articles	Coming soon!

Abstract
This project aims to design and validate a turnkey wearable system to measure 3D lower-limb kinematics in a clinical context.
Nowadays, due to the complexity of gait and especially pathological gait, clinical gait analysis (CGA) is generally used to identify, quantify and understand the deficits of a specific patient and is fully integrated into the clinical decision making of patients with complex gait disorders. CGA is a clinical assessment aiming to determine the cause of a patient’s way of walking. During CGA, standardized clinical videos are recorded with numerical video cameras generally synchronized with an opto-electronic system composed of at least 6 infrared cameras. This system measures the trajectory of passive reflective markers attached directly on the skin of the patient on accurate standardized positions relative to anatomical or technical landmarks. Based on a biomechanical model, the 3D kinematics (angular variations of the different joints/segments: ankle, knee, hip, pelvis) is used for the identification and understanding of gait deviations. These data provide the information needed by the clinicians for the treatment decision making or for the follow-up of the patient.


These opto-electronic systems are expensive, need a specific laboratory (specific room) and need trained persons which limit its accessibility. A lot of clinicians cannot afford this kind of system. To overcome this issue, we, together with Gait Up SA, aim to develop and validate an innovative wearable solution for providing 3D gait lower-limb kinematics outside of the gait laboratories. Indeed, we intend to advance the use of inertial measurement units (IMU) instead of opto-electronic systems to provide a complete clinical solution for mobile gait assessment less expensive, with no specific laboratory and no specific training for the users.