PAGAS: Portable and accurate gait analysis system

Gait analysis systems are powerful tools in the monitoring and rehabilitation of many health conditions which result in an altered gait (such as Parkinson´s disease and rheumatoid arthritis), along with the injury of lower limbs. However, current systems that provide accurate gait monitoring and analysis are large and expensive, and therefore are available only in professional settings. The goal of this research is to develop and test a Portable and Accurate Gait Analysis System, denoted PAGAS, which enables patients to monitor their own gait and track their progress and improvement over time. Moreover, PAGAS will enable therapists to follow the progress of their patients over time without the need for multiple visits required at a rehabilitation facility, thus saving significant healthcare costs. PAGAS includes footswitches and a micro-controller, which connects to an Android Smart-phone using Bluetooth communication. An application on the Smartphone analyzes the raw data to produce temporal gait parameters that are displayed to the user on a graphical user interface.