DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE SMART APPAREL TO QUANTIFY RUNNING GAIT IN THE DAILY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

Authors

Christopher J. Chapman, PUSH Design Solutions Inc.Follow
Devon H. Frayne, University of GuelphFollow
Vahid Babakeshizadeh, PUSH Design Solutions Inc.Follow

Category

Wearable Technology

Document Type

Paper

Abstract

Running gait kinetics and kinematics can be measured in the lab using force-instrumented treadmills and 3D motion capture. However, these tools are not feasible for use in the daily training environment of recreational and elite runners and track athletes. An inertial sensor-based prototype wearable smart garment (SG) has been developed to solve this problem. The purpose of this study was an initial assessment of SG compared to a force treadmill (FT) where foot-ground kinetics and temporal measures relevant to running were examined. Vertical ground reaction force, step time, and contact time showed “good to excellent” mean absolute percent error (< 6%), while step impulse did not (> 10%). All variables showed strong correlations between SG and FT (r > 0.85). The initial prototype smart garment is a viable option for the measurement of running biomechanics outside of the lab.

Recommended Citation

Chapman, Christopher J.; Frayne, Devon H.; and Babakeshizadeh, Vahid (2019) "DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE SMART APPAREL TO QUANTIFY RUNNING GAIT IN THE DAILY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT," ISBS Proceedings Archive: Vol. 37: Iss. 1, Article 115.
Available at: https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol37/iss1/115