Wearable wireless sensor for the gait monitorization of Parkinsonian patients

Abstract

The number of elderly people in European population is becoming higher year after year, thus, increasing the number of people affected by neurodegenerative diseases. The early diagnosis and treatment of these patients is a critical aspect yet not covered in depth. In this paper we propose a novel system for the monitorization of gait of patients affected by Parkinson disease (PD). Force Sensitive Resistors (FSR) are used, embedding them in an insole, which allows the capture and analysis of the gait over long periods of time and while the patient interacts with a natural (non-controlled) environments. The medical doctors are able to visualize and analyze the signals using a PC application, in order to obtain conclusions. This work is being developed in the framework of PERFORM1 project, which is financed by the European Commission and with the participation of the University Hospital of Navarra.