Inertial Sensing in Biomechanics: Techniques Bridging Motion Analysis and Personal Navigation

Abstract

Sensing approaches for ambulatory monitoring of human motion are necessary in order to objectively determine a person’s level of functional ability in independent living. Because this capability is beyond the grasp of the specialized equipment available in most motion analysis laboratories, body-mounted inertial sensing has been receiving increasing interest in the biomedical domain. Crucial to the success of this certainly not new sensing approach will be the capability of wearable inertial sensor networks to accurately recognize the type of activity performed (context awareness) and to determine the person’s current location (personal navigation), eventually in combination with other biomechanical or physiological sensors — key requirements in applications of wearable and mobile computing as well. This chapter reviews sensor configurations and computational techniques that have been implemented or are considered to meet the converging requirements of a wealth of application products, including ambulatory monitors for automatic recognition of activity, quantitative analysis of motor performance, and personal navigation systems.