Optical method to determine gait parameters using position sensitive detector

Abstract

This study suggests an optical method to measure cardinal of gait (step width, step length, and stride length) with position sensitive detector (PSD). The effect of reflector’s shape (flat and cylinder) on the PSD output voltage was examined for the application of the suggested system to real situations with a curved shape reflector (e.g. shoes). Various mathematical models were evaluated to find the optimal equation for the distance measurement. Considering the effect of shape on detected signal, the inverse polynomial model was developed. The suggested method is simple to operate, low in cost, small in size, and can evaluate gait parameters in real time. This method is expected to be useful in the field of rehabilitation and sport science.