The applicability of inertial motion sensors for locomotion and posture

Abstract

Wearable sensors are now ubiquitous consumer devices, enabling the general population to track their physical activities - providing estimates of time in each activity and measures such as steps and calories. Clinicians can benefit from this growth in wearable devices to better evaluate patient activity and posture for diagnosis and evaluating outcomes. The technologies involved range from low-grade, inexpensive consumer-oriented sensors to high-grade clinically validated activity monitors with associated analytics suites. In this chapter, we review the relevant technologies and how they can be applied to track locomotion and posture in clinical populations. We will review the form for these devices, the enabling analytics technology, and patient-specific applications. Beyond the limitations of more traditional measures, we will see that wearable devices enable convenient, objective, and continuous information that can assist clinicians in better diagnostics to quantify the impact of therapeutic interventions.