Description For our gait analysis project my group and I used an accelerometer to measure our gait over 10 steps. We used an app call Physics Toolbox Accelerometer. The data was used to formulate an equation which derives height from leg length and step frequency. The program used to take data on the students’ gait was a mobile phone application called Physics Toolbox Accelerometer. The cell phone was attached to the students’ lower backs, while they each walked 10 steps in a straight line. The phone application took detailed data of the accelerations experienced in three axis, and automatically converted this information to a spreadsheet. The data was analyzed in order to make observations on the gait of the general population. The data collected in this experiment was not extensive enough to create and test the accuracy of equations that predict the height and frequency of steps taken in one second of any subject.
Process First we measured the height and weight of each person, as well as their shoe sizes and tried to describe their walk. We duct-taped the phone to the lower back of each person, in contact with the skin. In our first trial, each person walked in a straight line for 10 steps. Everyone started with their right foot and walked like they would on a daily basis. For the second trial we walked in a straight line for 10 steps and starting with the right foot again, but we had a backpack on our backs, using both straps, that weighed 16 lbs.
Data Leg LengthHeight (m)Weight (kg)Frequency (steps/second) Dean-1.12 M 1.83 63.5 1.56 Ben- 1.09 M 1.77 69.85 1.67 Liz-1.08 M 1.76 62.14 1.57 Austin-1.04 M 1.68 58.97 1.76
Reflections This project was somewhat simple but posed a good challenge for all of us. We worked a lot with Google sheets and it taught me a lot about graphs and how to insert. I learned that data isn't always constant and can easily get skewed. Next time I would change the way that we walked and how far we walked. The data wasn't super consistent and the graphs were a bit off. My group and i worked really well and collaborated as a team. We took data well and efficiently during our working time.