Wearable FES Gait Modulation Using IMU and Machine Learning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gait modulation devices are bulky, uncomfortable, and often inaccurate in calculating real-time motion data, leading to excessive energy expenditure and limited physical activity for users with conditions like drop foot, and they require complex tuning or hardware prone to false activation.
Innovation Solution
A wearable functional electrical stimulation (FES) device with elastic sleeves and integrated IMU, processors, and electrode arrays that provide real-time gait modulation using machine learning algorithms to calculate gait cycles and deliver precise electrical stimulation via electrodes, allowing easy use and accurate data tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional gait modulation devices are used, then gait-related impairments can be treated, but the devices are bulky and uncomfortable to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible wearable articles such as elastic sleeves, compression garments, and stretchable fabrics as the substrate for the FES device. These flexible materials replace traditional bulky rigid structures, allowing the device to conform to body contours and move with the user's limb during gait cycles, thereby maintaining comfort and wearability while delivering effective electrical stimulation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes elastomeric materials with varying degrees of stretchability and compliance to optimize both comfort and stimulation delivery. By changing the physical parameters of the wearable substrate (elasticity, thickness, material composition), the device achieves a balance between being comfortable for extended wear and effective for gait modulation
2Strength
If rigid portions are used in gait modulation devices, then structural support is provided, but the rigid portions can dig into the wearer's skin and are aesthetically displeasing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely replaces rigid portions with flexible wearable articles made from elastic materials. These flexible substrates provide sufficient structural support through their elastic properties and fit to the body, while eliminating the skin-digging and aesthetic problems associated with rigid components. The flexible material conforms to skin contours and allows for comfortable prolonged wear
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite wearable structures combining elastomeric base materials with integrated electrode arrays and sensing elements. This composite approach maintains structural integrity and support functionality while using flexible, skin-friendly materials that eliminate the harmful effects of rigid portions
3Measurement precision
If heel sensors are worn within footwear, then foot-off and foot-strike detection is achieved, but the user cannot walk barefoot or in socks and physical activities are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal wearable article design that can be worn in multiple contexts - over bare skin, with socks, or integrated into footwear. The elastic sleeve or compression garment serves as both the structural substrate and the sensor mounting platform, eliminating the need for specialized footwear integration and allowing users to engage in diverse physical activities including barefoot walking, sock wearing, and various exercise routines
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible wearable article acts as an intermediary between the skin and the sensing/stimulation components. This intermediate layer provides a stable platform for mounting sensors and electrodes while remaining comfortable against the skin and adaptable to different wearing conditions, thereby enabling gait event detection across various activity types without restricting user choice
4Measurement precision
If tilt sensors are used for control, then gait phase detection is achieved, but tilt parameters vary and require frequent tuning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the wearable device continuously monitors gait events (foot-off, foot-strike) and uses this information to dynamically adjust stimulation timing and parameters. This closed-loop feedback system automatically adapts to variations in user gait patterns without requiring manual tuning, as the system learns and responds to the user's natural walking variations in real-time
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs self-calibration and automatic adaptation to individual user gait characteristics. Through embedded algorithms that analyze gait cycle patterns and adjust stimulation parameters autonomously, the system eliminates the need for frequent manual tuning by therapists or users, making the device self-sufficient in optimizing its performance for each individual wearer
5Measurement precision
If footswitches are used to coordinate stimulation timing, then foot-off and foot-strike indication is achieved, but the devices are prone to false activation and require hardware under the foot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical footswitches with inertial measurement units (IMUs) containing accelerometers and gyroscopes that detect gait events through motion analysis. This substitution of mechanical sensing with inertial sensing eliminates false activations caused by pressure sensor sensitivity while maintaining accurate foot-off and foot-strike detection through analysis of limb acceleration and orientation patterns during gait
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides comfortable, real-time gait modulation with improved accuracy, enabling users to engage in various activities without hardware under the foot, reducing energy expenditure and enhancing mobility.
Implementation Method 1
an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprising at least a gyroscope or accelerometer
Implementation Method 2
an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprising at least a gyroscope or accelerometer
Implementation Method 3
an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) generator... instruct the EMS generator to provide electrical stimulation to the nerves and muscles of the limb
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus, systems, and methods for real-time gait modulation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device is disclosed comprising one or more wearable articles, a control unit comprising a wireless communication module, one or more processors, one or more memory units, a portable power supply, an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) generator, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprising at least a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The FES device can also comprise one or more electrode arrays configured to be in physical contact with the limb of the user. The processors can be programmed to execute instructions to retrieve readings from the IMU, calculate a gait cycle percentage by inputting at least the IMU readings into a machine learning algorithm, and instruct the EMS generator to provide electrical stimulation via the one or more electrode arrays based in part on the gait cycle percentage calculated.