IPAM - Identification of parametric equations of walking

Project Partners: Inria Sophia Antipolis Méditerranée and Ekinnox

Physiotherapists and rehabilitation physicians have few quantitative measurement tools available to diagnose and monitor the progress of their patients. These tools are particularly lacking for the care of people with walking disabilities that occur after trauma, stroke or other conditions. The currently available solutions are based on the use of complex and expensive equipment such as systems using sensors and a set of cameras, or pressure mat sensors, or cables attached to the patient's feet. In this context, the startup Ekinnox (founded in 2017 as a spin-off of Inria Sophia Antipolis Méditerranée) is developing a light system to assist with care diagnosis and monitoring, using a 3D camera and analysis algorithms. This solution aims to provide a simple, objective and fast way of quantitatively and visually evaluating human movements.

Ekinnox collaborated with researchers from Inria Sophia Antipolis Méditerranée (Aromath and Titane project teams) in order to improve the reliability and accuracy of the algorithms used to analyze foot trajectories and to extract the usual locomotor indices of walking rehabilitation (single and double support time, speed and cadence). This collaboration has resulted in a new approach based on a continuous model of walking developed by the researchers. This model is represented by a parameterized curve characterized by carefully selected control parameters, in sufficient number to provide a robust representation of foot movement, while modeling with sufficient precision the locomotor parameters of a great diversity of potential patients and pathologies. The results obtained have led to significant gains in terms of accuracy and reliability in the calculation of locomotive parameters.

Collaboration between Inria and Ekinnox is expected to continue with the exploration of other solutions for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of walking disabilities.

Project start and end dates: December 2017 - May 2018