Design and verification of an autonomous gait monitoring cane

The prime method of analyzing gait cycles with balance aiding devices has typically been restricted to laboratory controlled environments, where motion capture software or visual observation are available. Few methods for real-world gait analysis exist that do not require active human monitoring. We are bridging that gap by developing an autonomous device which attaches to a cane, or cane-like device, to record gait speed, frequency, and applied load. To date we have successfully verified sensor accuracy and are collecting experimental data.