Gait pathology detection and monitoring system, and method

1. A gait pathology detection and monitoring method, comprising:

securing a personal activity tracking electronic device having an accelerometer sensor onto a leg of a user;

detecting gait movement of the user during walking using the personal activity tracking electronic device;

generating gait data of the user from the detected gait movement of the user during the walking;

demonstrating at least one style of gait of the user when generating the gait data;

processing the generated gait data using each of dynamic time warping (DTW) and rotation, scale, and offset (RSO) invariant dynamic time warping (RSOI-DTW), even when rotation of the accelerometer sensor is present during the detecting of the gait movement of the user during walking using the personal activity tracking device; and

comparing results of the processing of the generated gait data using DTW and RSOI-DTW, respectively, to determine any gait recognition problem.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising applying at least one randomly chosen rotation amount to the accelerometer sensor prior to the detecting of the gait movement of the user during the walking using the personal activity tracking electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising applying gait recognition to the processed gait data to determine whether a gait cycle of unknown origin belongs to the user.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining whether a particular gait cycle represents the user's normal gait or a possible pathology.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising demonstrating four different styles of gait by the user when generating the user's gait data, including casual walking, fast walking, ataxic walking, and right leg circumduction.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising segmenting the user's gait data.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the user's gait data is segmented into gait cycles, defined as data between consecutive heel strikes of the user during detection.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising measuring changes in walkability of the user by detecting changes by comparing the user's current gait cycles against prior baseline gait cycles.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein monitoring the user's walkability is measured on an ongoing basis.

10. A gait pathology detection and monitoring system, comprising:

a personal activity tracking electronic device having an accelerometer sensor, the personal activity tracking electronic device being configured to fit onto a leg of a user, detect gait movement of the user when walking, and generate, from the detected gait movement of the user, gait data of the user demonstrating at least one style of gait of the user; and

an electronic apparatus configured to (a) receive the generated gait data of the user, (b) process the generated gait data using each of dynamic time warping (DTW) and rotation, scale, and offset (RSO) invariant dynamic time warping (RSOI-DTW), even when rotation of the accelerometer sensor is present during the detecting of the gait movement of the user when walking, and (c) compare results of the processing of the generated gait data using DTW and RSOI-DTW, respectively, to determine any gait recognition problem.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a processor, a graphic processing unit, a memory and a bus connecting the memory to one or more of the processor and the graphic processing unit to allow communication between the memory and the one or more of the processor and the graphic processing unit.

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the personal activity tracking electronic device and electronic apparatus are configured to communicate with each other.

13. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the personal activity tracking device is configured to generate, from the detected gait movement of the user, gait data of the user demonstrating four different styles of gait by the user, including casual walking, fast walking, ataxic walking, and right leg circumduction.