Miniaturised, energy-optimised gait analysis system for determining mobility in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract:
In order to determine the current state of health in Parkinson’s disease, it is possible to use gait analysis. If this is done continuously, it is possible to get a more accurate picture of the progression of the disease, which is important for accurate medication. To allow this continuous analysis of the gait, it is necessary to have a small discrete measuring system that fits well in the daily routine of the patient. The requirements, which could not be precisely defined until now, were narrowed down in a preliminary project and used for a system design. Since the degree of complexity of the demands, such as energy-saving, compact size and not being intrusive, is very high, a morphological analysis was used to find a solution. The runtime calculation, which was difficult due to the usage scenario, was estimated with the help of statistical methods and the system design was optimised on this basis. A hybrid data storage between a mobile phone and the measuring system simplifies the problematic storage of the extensive data. Through the use of existing sensor soles, it was possible to focus on the Hard- and Software design. As a result, a small, compact evaluation system could be built, which is energy-saving enough to record data over a complete patient’s daily routine. Due to the modular structure of the embedded hard- and software, further adaptation to the requirements of subsequent investigations is easily possible.