An Outsole-Embedded Optoelectronic Sensor to Measure Shear Ground Reaction Forces During Locomotion
Ton T. H. Duong, David R. Whittaker, Damiano Zanotto
Abstract
Online estimation of 3D ground reaction forces (GRFs) is becoming increasingly important for closed-loop control of lower-extremity robotic exoskeletons. Through in-verse dynamics and optimization models, 3D GRFs can be used to estimate net joint torques and approximate muscle forces. Although instrumented footwear to measure vertical GRFs in out-of-the-lab environments is available, accurately measuring shear GRFs with foot-mounted sensors still remains a challenging task. In this paper, a new outsole-embedded optoelectronic sensor configuration that is able to measure biaxial shear GRFs is proposed. Compared with traditional strain-gauge based solutions, optoelectronic sensors allow for a more affordable design. To mitigate the risk of altering the wearer's natural gait, the proposed solution does not involve external modifications to the footwear structure. A preliminary validation of the outsole-embedded sensor was conducted against validated laboratory equipment. The test involved two sessions of treadmill walking at different speeds. Experimental results suggest that the proposed design may be a promising solution for measuring shear GRFs in unconstrained environments.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{icra2020_anoutsoleembedde,
title = {An Outsole-Embedded Optoelectronic Sensor to Measure Shear Ground Reaction Forces During Locomotion},
author = {Ton T. H. Duong and David R. Whittaker and Damiano Zanotto},
booktitle = {ICRA 2020},
year = {2020}
}