Using “Smart Socks” to Detect Normal versus Abnormal Gait

Abstract

Smart textile systems are an emerging technology for physical activity assessment. These systems have clear potential utility for measuring health-relevant aspects of human activity, and to do so passively and continuously in diverse environments. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of one such system, commercially-available smart socks (SSs), for detecting five different categories of gait including normal and several specific (simulated) gait abnormalities. The SSs were found to be quite accurate for these purposes. Results of this study support the viability of using SS-related data for future healthcare assessments.