ZurichMove
Description
The quality of functional movement is a clear expression of neuromotor and musculoskeletal control and its accurate evaluation can therefore provide a battery of potential outcome parameters for assessing functional status in individuals with and without pathology. As such, quantification of movement quality, in particular gait, allows an understanding of e.g. risk of falling, and therefore provides new and meaningful secondary endpoints for clinical trials. However, a complete and comprehensive assessment of gait parameters is required before an understanding of the complex multi-dimensional patterns in gait can be gained. In order to overcome the limitations of gait analyses being performed in expensive laboratory settings, we aim to provide new tools to accurately measure and quantify gait patterns in real world settings for improving the management of clinical trials, including:
- efficient pre-screening of large cohorts
- accurate monitoring of gait quality and quantity, and
- improved metrics for establishing secondary endpoints in large scale clinical trials
The recent development of state-of-the-art inertial measurement units (IMUs) within the ZurichMOVE project now offers the opportunity to utilise multiple synchronised sensors for a comprehensive analysis of gait performance that includes gait events such as heel strikes and gait velocity (see figure below). This unique system offers precise motion analysis to be performed in laboratory-settings, but is also capable of assessing whole-body movement in a real-world environment and over extended periods (several days). The goal of this project is therefore to build on the ZurichMOVE initiative, and develop and validate algorithms for comprehensive gait assessment in an ecological valid environment.