Integration of smartphones and webcam for the measure of spatial-temporal parameters of gait for treadmill use

A very low cost prototype has been developed for the spatial and temporal analysis of human movement using an integrated system of last generation smartphones and a high-definition webcam, controlled by a laptop. The system can be used to analyse mainly planar motions in non-structured environments. In this paper, the accelerometer signal as captured by the 3D sensor embedded in one smartphone, and the position of coloured markers derived by the webcam frames, are used for the computation of spatial-temporal parameters of gait. The system has been tested on a treadmill at different gait speeds. Accuracy of results is compared with that obtainable by a gold-standard instrumentation. The system is characterised by a very low cost and by a very high level of automation. It has been thought to be used by non-expert users in ambulatory settings.