Preliminary study on gait variability analysis with a single axis gyroscope for Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases

Gait analysis methods to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability based on Inertial Measurements Units (IMUs) are present in literature. In this paper a preliminary study on the time gait variability as a tool for early diagnosis is presented. The system is non-invasive as it is composed by only a single axis gyroscope positioned on the patient shin. The unit uses a Bluetooth Low Energy interface for automatic data download and analysis. Twenty cognitively normal subjects have been used in order to exploit the system’s capability, with very good results. They were asked to use the device during the day in the normal activity. The algorithm is able to isolate the walk session and to calculate the global duration, the mean and the standard deviation of the gait duration. The proposed wearable gait analysis device is a promising tool for clinical study.