Magnetometer-Free, IMU-Based Foot Progression Angle Estimation for Real-Life Walking Conditions

Foot progression angle (FPA) is vital in many disease assessment and rehabilitation applications, however previous magneto-IMU-based FPA estimation algorithms can be prone to magnetic distortion and inaccuracies after walking starts and turns. This paper presents a foot-worn IMU-based FPA estimation algorithm comprised of three key components: orientation estimation, acceleration transformation, and FPA estimation via peak foot deceleration. Twelve healthy subjects performed two walking experiments to evaluation IMU algorithm performance. The first experiment aimed to validate the proposed algorithm in continuous straight walking tasks across seven FPA gait patterns (large toe-in, medium toe-in, small toe-in, normal, small toe-out, medium toe-out, and large toe-out). The second experiment was performed to evaluate the proposed FPA algorithm for steps after walking starts and turns. Results showed that FPA estimations from the IMU-based algorithm closely followed marker-based system measurements with an overall mean absolute error of 3.1±1.3 deg, and the estimation results were valid for all steps immediately after walking starts and turns. This work could enable FPA assessment in environments where magnetic distortion is present due to ferrous metal structures and electrical equipment, or in real-life walking conditions when walking starts, stops, and turns commonly occur.