Characterizing marching gait parameters in the field during load carriage using a shank-borne sensor

Tracking Soldier gait parameters in the field using a non-obtrusive, shin mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) may provide increased insight into metrics related to performance and/or injury potential relative to lab-based measurements. However, until recently, wearable sensors lacked the appropriate resolution for field use. During three paced marches while carrying loads ranging from 12-46 kg, basic gait parameters were extracted from a shin mounted IMU. Neither cadence nor accelerations changed during a paced loaded march at three different loads.