The Use of Wearable Inertial Motion Sensors in Human Lower Limb Biomechanics Studies: A Systematic Review

Wearable motion sensors consisting of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetic sensors are readily available nowadays. The small size and low production costs of motion sensors make them a very good tool for human motions analysis. However, data processing and accuracy of the collected data are important issues for research purposes. In this paper, we aim to review the literature related to usage of inertial sensors in human lower limb biomechanics studies. A systematic search was done in the following search engines: ISI Web of Knowledge, Medline, SportDiscus and IEEE Xplore. Thirty nine full papers and conference abstracts with related topics were included in this review. The type of sensor involved, data collection methods, study design, validation methods and its applications were reviewed.

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[15]  Yutaka Hata,et al.  Analyzing 3D Knee Kinematics Using Accelerometers, Gyroscopes and Magnetometers , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on System of Systems Engineering.

[16]  Hailong Zhu,et al.  Support vector machine for classification of walking conditions of persons after stroke with dropped foot. , 2009, Human movement science.

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[20]  Roman Kamnik,et al.  An inertial and magnetic sensor based technique for joint angle measurement. , 2007, Journal of biomechanics.

[21]  J Y Goulermas,et al.  Predicting lower limb joint kinematics using wearable motion sensors. , 2008, Gait & posture.

[22]  Ilkka Korhonen,et al.  Detection of Daily Activities and Sports With Wearable Sensors in Controlled and Uncontrolled Conditions , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[23]  Adriano Ferrari,et al.  ‘Outwalk’: a protocol for clinical gait analysis based on inertial and magnetic sensors , 2009, Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing.

[24]  Tao Liu,et al.  Measurement of muscle motion for improving accuracy of body-mounted motion sensor , 2008, 2008 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics.

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[27]  Noriyuki Hori,et al.  Kinematic quantitation of the patellar tendon reflex using a tri-axial accelerometer. , 2007, Journal of Biomechanics.

[28]  Tao Liu,et al.  Novel approach to ambulatory assessment of human segmental orientation on a wearable sensor system. , 2009, Journal of biomechanics.

[29]  B M Jolles,et al.  Functional calibration procedure for 3D knee joint angle description using inertial sensors. , 2009, Journal of biomechanics.

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[31]  J R Morris,et al.  Accelerometry--a technique for the measurement of human body movements. , 1973, Journal of biomechanics.

[32]  Peter H Veltink,et al.  Accelerometer and rate gyroscope measurement of kinematics: an inexpensive alternative to optical motion analysis systems. , 2002, Journal of biomechanics.

[33]  Glen M Davis,et al.  Performance of orientation sensors for use with a functional electrical stimulation mobility system. , 2005, Journal of biomechanics.

[34]  Kamiar Aminian,et al.  Stair climbing detection during daily physical activity using a miniature gyroscope. , 2005, Gait & posture.

[35]  Raymond Y. W. Lee,et al.  Feasibility of using inertial sensors to assess human movement. , 2010, Manual therapy.

[36]  J. Dowling,et al.  Mechanical Modeling of Tibial Axial Accelerations Following Impulsive Heel Impact , 2000 .

[37]  Wei-Hsin Liao,et al.  Identification of ankle sprain motion from common sporting activities by dorsal foot kinematics data. , 2010, Journal of biomechanics.

[38]  Kamiar Aminian,et al.  A new approach to accurate measurement of uniaxial joint angles based on a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.