Gouwanda, D. and Senanayake, S. M. N. A.

Paper:

Non-Linear Time Analysis to Estimate Gait Stability

Using Wearable Gyroscopes Network
Darwin Gouwanda and S. M. N. Arosha Senanayake
School of Engineering, Monash University Sunway campus
Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: darwin gouwanda@ieee.org
Faculty Research Training Coordinator/FOS, University of Brunei
Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei
E-mail: arosha.senanayake@ubd.edu.bn
[Received January 16, 2012; accepted May 2, 2012]

Gait stability is very important in assessing human

locomotion. Maximum Lyapunov exponent ( ) has
been widely reported to be closely related to the ability of the human locomotor system in maintaining
walking balance. Most literature reports have, however, utilized optical motion capture systems, electrogoniometers and accelerometers to determine . This
paper introduces the use of wearable wireless gyroscopes for estimating gait stability. An experimental
study was conducted to validate the efficacy of this approach. Its outcome was consistent and comparable to
results obtained from conventional approaches.
Keywords: wireless gyroscope, gait instability, maximum Lyapunov exponent

1. Introduction
Gait stability is an important factor in gait analysis.
Gait stability is the ability of the human body to maintain functional locomotion despite the presence of small
kinematic disturbances or control errors [1]. In recent
years, many researchers had attempted to investigate and
to quantify human gait stability. In previous studies, the
magnitude of kinematic variability was often regarded as
an estimate of gait stability [26]. Little evidence can be
found, however, to support this assumption [7, 8]. Gait
stability derived from kinematic variability only quantifies average differences between strides, independent of
the temporal order in which strides occur. It also does
not contain information on how the locomotor control
system responds to perturbations either within or across
strides [710]. It is also limited, moreover, by its ability
to quantify and provide a discrete measure for representing all data points [8].
Due to these reasons, tools from nonlinear dynamic
system theory were proposed to examine point-to-point
fluctuations in movement trajectories throughout the gait
cycle [1, 7, 8, 10]. Although fluctuations in measurement
data are often described as error or noise in a system, nonlinear dynamic system theory provides a different explanation. It proposes that fluctuation may be a consequence
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of the dynamic self-organization of a complex system.

The most widely used tool derived from this theory is
maximum Lyapunov exponent ( ). provides a direct indicator of human dynamic stability [211]. This
approach was widely adopted by other researchers to investigate the gait stability of older adults [8], patients
with Down syndrome [9], patients with diabetic neuropathy [10] and patients with ACL injury [12].
The optical motion capture system is the most common
method for quantifying human motion during walking.
However, this approach poses several limitations. It has
to be properly calibrated prior to an experiment. It only
captures human motion in a laboratory environment. Due
to these limitations, the wireless gyroscope was proposed
to capture human lower extremity motions in real time.
Unlike conventional instruments, the gyroscope is inexpensive, small, light-weight, and relatively easy to use. It
produces similar results regardless of minor differences in
attachment sites on the human body [13]. Lastly, it is suitable for wearable applications that continuously monitor
the human gait [1320].
Equipping the gyroscope with wireless technology offers additional advantages. It allows the subject to move
freely without being obstructed by wires that connect sensors to a workstation. The subjects movement space is
also not restricted by the length of wires. This technology
enables motion to be captured in both indoor and outdoor
environments.
The goal of this study is to explore the advantages offered by the miniature wireless gyroscope in estimating
gait stability. This paper investigates whether a kinematic
variable, i.e., the angular rate measured by the gyroscope,
can be used to determine . It also demonstrates how
an abnormal gait simulated by placing a weight on one
side of the limbs can adversely affect and induce gait
instability.

2. Methodology
2.1. Wearable Gyroscope Network
In this study, a wearable wireless gait monitoring system was developed to measure the angular rate of huJournal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.24 No.4, 2012

Non-Linear Time Analysis to Estimate Gait Stability

Fig. 1. Wireless gait monitoring system setup.

Fig. 2. System software framework.

man lower extremity during walking. Four wireless gyroscopes (Wireless Inertia-Link from Microstrain, Inc.)
were placed on the right thigh, left thigh, right shank and
left shank (Fig. 1). Each gyroscope had a sampling rate
of 200 Hz and a measurement range of 5.235 rad/s with
a bias stability of 0.00349 rad/s and a nonlinearity of
0.2%. Each wireless gyroscope had an onboard microprocessor performing fundamental data filtering, therefore no
jitter was expected in data. It is important to note that
no further data filtering was performed to retain the spatiotemporal fluctuation or nonlinearity of signals [1, 21].
Code was written in LabVIEW 8.5 to serve as a
communication platform among the wireless gyroscopes,
wireless transceivers and the workstation. By harnessing
the capability of the parallel processing available in Lab-

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Vol.24 No.4, 2012

VIEW 8.5, this network is able to stream measurement

data in real time from wireless gyroscopes to the workstation and to provide real-time data visualization. This code
was also written to accommodate offline processes, i.e.,
data segmentation, data interpolation, routines for determining and report generation. The architecture of this
system is depicted in Fig. 2.
A gait suit was designed to hold wireless gyroscopes
firmly on a subjects lower extremity during walking,
hence minimizing measurement error. This suit is made
of bulk straps and VelcroTM straps. Sensors are placed on
bulk straps. The length of bulk straps is altered according
to the length and circumferences of the subjects thigh and
shank by unlocking and adjusting the buckle lock and belt
(Fig. 1). An adjustable gait suit allows subjects with dif-

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