Pedestrian walking velocity estimation based on wearable inertial sensors and lower-limb kinematics

In this paper, a new method is proposed for estimating pedestrians' walking velocity based on lower-limb kinematics and wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. While the soles and ground are not in contact during the walking cycle, the walking velocity can be estimated by integrating the acceleration output of the inertial sensor mounted on the pelvis. To minimize the effects of acceleration measurement errors caused by the tilt of the pelvis while walking, the estimated walking velocity based on lower-limb kinematics is imposed as the initial value in the acceleration signal integration process of the pelvis inertial sensor. In the experiment involving outdoor walking for six minutes, sensor drift due to error accumulation was not observed, and the RMS error in the walking velocity estimation was less than 0.08 m/s. © 2017 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers.