Investigating the Association of Quantitative Gait Stability Metrics With User Perception of Gait Interruption Due to Control Faults During Human-Prosthesis Interaction

This study aims to compare the association of different gait stability metrics with the prosthesis users’ perception of their own gait stability. Lack of perceived confidence on the device functionality can influence the gait pattern, level of daily activities, and overall quality of life for individuals with lower limb motor deficits. However, the perception of gait stability is subjective and difficult to acquire online. The quantitative gait stability metrics can be objectively measured and monitored using wearable sensors; however, objective measurements of gait stability associated with human’s perception of their own gait stability has rarely been reported. By identifying quantitative measurements that associate with users’ perceptions, we can gain a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of an individual’s perceived functional outcomes of assistive devices such as prostheses. To achieve our research goal, experiments were conducted to artificially apply internal disturbances in the powered prosthesis while the prosthetic users performed level ground walking. We monitored and compared multiple gait stability metrics and a local measurement to the users’ reported perception of their own gait stability. The results showed that the center of pressure progression in the sagittal plane and knee momentum (i.e., residual thigh and prosthesis shank angular momentum about prosthetic knee joint) can potentially estimate the users’ perceptions of gait stability when experiencing disturbances. The findings of this study can help improve the development and evaluation of gait stability control algorithms in robotic prosthetic devices.