A New Experimental Set-up for Training Multi-parameter Gaits

The purpose of this work is to estimate changes in the knee flexion angle in response to modifications in the human walking. We developed an experimental application divided into two parts: the first one serves to supply visual instructions projected on the ground to be followon by a patient during walking trials and the second measures certain biomechanical parameters. A number of healthy subjects are recruited for walking trials. Our first objective was to ask a subject to follow a number of visual instructions during modified walking trials and then check if he properly followed the instructions. The set of the instructions drawn on the ground represent certain spatial parameters. Every candidate follows in real time a specific walking pattern based on his recorded natural walking in the way that gait parameters, i.e., step width, stride length and foot progression angle, are varied. Therby, effects of these variations on the knee flexion angle are identified.