Granted Patent B2

US 12,543,972 · App. 18/589,226 · Granted Feb 10, 2026

Inventors: Louis Awad (Milford, MA); Dheepak Arumukhom Revi (Boston, MA); Conor Walsh (Cambridge, MA); Stefano Marco Maria De Rossi (Leeds, GB)

Assignees: Trustees of Boston University; President and Fellows of Harvard College

A61B5/11A61B5/6828A61B2562/0219

Abstract

Claims (49)

1 . A method of phenotype-guided movement assessment, comprising:

receiving movement data associated with a subject, the movement data collected during repetitive movement of the subject, the repetitive movement comprising ambulation including at least one stride;

generating a phase portrait defining a substantially circular orbit based on the movement data associated with the at least one stride;

calculating a phase portrait metric of a characteristic of the phase portrait, wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating an amplitude for each stride of the repetitive movement based on an average polar radius of the substantially circular orbit of the phase portrait for each stride, and calculating an average amplitude for the repetitive movement based on the amplitude of each stride;

assigning the subject to a movement phenotype based on the phase portrait metric;

guiding application of a treatment to the subject based on the assigned movement phenotype, wherein the treatment comprises applying gait training to the subject with an assigned movement phenotype based on the average amplitude for the repetitive movement; and

applying the treatment to the subject based on the assigned movement phenotype, the treatment comprising applying the gait training using at least one of a robotic exosuit, a neuroprosthesis, or a Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the movement data is received from an inertial measurement unit.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the inertial measurement unit is positioned at a thigh of the subject.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises:

calculating a minimum polar radius of the phase portrait for each stride of the at least one stride;

calculating a maximum polar radius of the phase portrait metric for each stride; and

calculating a roundness for each stride based on a ratio of the minimum polar radius of each respective stride to the maximum polar radius of each respective stride.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating an average roundness for the repetitive movement based on the roundness of each stride of the at least one stride.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating a smoothness for each stride of the at least one stride based on a measure of a variability of the phase portrait for each stride.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating an average smoothness for the repetitive movement based on the smoothness of each stride of the at least one stride.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each phase portrait comprises four quadrants or a stance and a swing phase, each quadrant or phase corresponding to a portion of a stride of the repetitive movement comprising at least one stride, and wherein applying the treatment comprises applying the treatment based on a phase portrait metric associated with at least one quadrant or phase of the phase portrait.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating, with respect to the substantially circular orbit of the phase portrait for each stride, at least one of a maximum amplitude, a minimum amplitude, a maximum roundness, a minimum roundness, a maximum smoothness, or a minimum smoothness.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises:

calculating a minimum polar radius of the phase portrait for each stride of the at least one stride;

calculating a maximum polar radius of the phase portrait for each stride;

calculating a roundness for each stride based on a ratio of the minimum polar radius of each respective stride to the maximum polar radius of each respective stride;

calculating an average roundness for the repetitive movement based on the roundness of each stride of the at least one stride,

wherein the assignment of the subject to the movement phenotype is further based on the average roundness for the repetitive movement;

wherein the treatment comprises applying exosuit augmented gait training to the subject with an assigned movement phenotype based on the average roundness for the repetitive movement.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the movement phenotype is established based on at least one phase portrait metric cutoff associated with a biomechanical or a motor control impairment.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

associating the phase portrait metric with a biomechanical metric; and

establishing the phenotype based on the phase portrait metric.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a cutoff metric to establish one or more phenotypes.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises the average amplitude for the repetitive movement and the biomechanical metric comprises a walking speed.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises an average roundness and the biomechanical metric comprises a propulsion.

16 . A system of phenotype-guided movement assessment, comprising:

an assistive device;

a sensor configured to collect movement data associated with a subject during repetitive movement of the subject, the repetitive movement comprising ambulation including at least one stride; and

a processor operationally coupled to the sensor, the processor configured to:

receive movement data associated with the subject from the sensor, the movement data collected during the repetitive movement of the subject;

generate a phase portrait defining a substantially circular orbit based on the movement data associated with the at least one stride;

calculate a phase portrait metric of a characteristic of the phase portrait, wherein calculating the phase portrait metric comprises calculating an amplitude for each stride of the repetitive movement based on an average polar radius of the substantially circular orbit of the phase portrait for each stride, and calculating an average amplitude for the repetitive movement based on the amplitude of each stride;

assign the subject to a movement phenotype based on the phase portrait metric,

wherein the processor is configured to instruct the assistive device to apply a treatment to the subject based on the assigned movement phenotype, wherein the treatment comprises applying gait training to the subject with an assigned movement phenotype based on the average amplitude for the repetitive movement.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises:

a minimum polar radius of the phase portrait for each stride of the at least one stride;

a maximum polar radius of the phase portrait for each stride;

a roundness for each stride based on a ratio of the minimum polar radius of the respective stride to the maximum polar radius of the respective stride.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises an average roundness for the repetitive movement based on the roundness of each stride of the at least one stride.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises a smoothness for each stride of the at least one stride based on a measure of a variability of the phase portrait for each stride.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the phase portrait metric comprises an average smoothness for the repetitive movement based on a smoothness of each stride of the at least one stride.

21 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the assistive device comprises at least one of a robotic exosuit, a neuroprosthesis, or a Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) device.

Assignments (4)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (179)