Automatic methods of hoof-on and -off detection in horses using wearable inertial sensors during walk and trot on asphalt, sand and grass.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Briggs EV
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8312981 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:For gait classification, hoof-on and hoof-off events are fundamental locomotion characteristics of interest. These events can be measured with inertial measurement units (IMUs) which measure the acceleration and angular velocity in three directions. The aim of this study was to present two algorithms for automatic detection of hoof-events from the acceleration and angular velocity signals measured by hoof-mounted IMUs in walk and trot on a hard surface. Seven Warmblood horses were equipped with two wireless IMUs, which were attached to the lateral wall of the right front (RF) and hind (RH) hooves. Horses were walked and trotted on a lead over a force plate for internal validation. The agreement between the algorithms for the acceleration and angular velocity signals with the force plate was evaluated by Bland Altman analysis and linear mixed model analysis. These analyses were performed for both hoof-on and hoof-off detection and for both algorithms separately. For the hoof-on detection, the angular velocity algorithm was the most accurate with an accuracy between 2.39 and 12.22 ms and a precision of around 13.80 ms, depending on gait and hoof. For hoof-off detection, the acceleration algorithm was the most accurate with an accuracy of 3.20 ms and precision of 6.39 ms, independent of gait and hoof. These algorithms look highly promising for gait classification purposes although the applicability of these algorithms should be investigated under different circumstances, such as different surfaces and different hoof trimming conditions.
| S-EPMC7269263 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A prolonged break-over phase might be an indication of a variety of musculoskeletal disorders and can be measured with optical motion capture (OMC) systems, inertial measurement units (IMUs) and force plates. The aim of this study was to present two algorithms for automatic detection of the break-over phase onset from the acceleration and angular velocity signals measured by hoof-mounted IMUs in walk and trot on a hard surface. The performance of these algorithms was evaluated by internal validation with an OMC system and a force plate separately. Seven Warmblood horses were equipped with two wireless IMUs which were attached to the lateral wall of the right front (RF) and hind (RH) hooves. Horses were walked and trotted over a force plate for internal validation while simultaneously the 3D position of three reflective markers, attached to lateral heel, lateral toe and lateral coronet of each hoof, were measured by six infrared cameras of an OMC system. The performance of the algorithms was evaluated by linear mixed model analysis. The acceleration algorithm was the most accurate with an accuracy between -9 and 23 ms and a precision around 24 ms (against OMC system), and an accuracy between -37 and 20 ms and a precision around 29 ms (against force plate), depending on gait and hoof. This algorithm seems promising for quantification of the break-over phase onset although the applicability for clinical purposes, such as lameness detection and evaluation of trimming and shoeing techniques, should be investigated more in-depth.
| S-EPMC7259550 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor-based techniques are becoming more popular in horses as a tool for objective locomotor assessment.ObjectivesTo describe, evaluate and validate a method of stride detection and quantification at walk and trot using distal limb mounted IMU sensors.Study designProspective validation study comparing IMU sensors and motion capture with force plate data.MethodsA total of seven Warmblood horses equipped with metacarpal/metatarsal IMU sensors and reflective markers for motion capture were hand walked and trotted over a force plate. Using four custom built algorithms hoof-on/hoof-off timing over the force plate were calculated for each trial from the IMU data. Accuracy of the computed parameters was calculated as the mean difference in milliseconds between the IMU or motion capture generated data and the data from the force plate, precision as the s.d. of these differences and percentage of error with accuracy of the calculated parameter as a percentage of the force plate stance duration.ResultsAccuracy, precision and percentage of error of the best performing IMU algorithm for stance duration at walk were 28.5, 31.6 ms and 3.7% for the forelimbs and -5.5, 20.1 ms and -0.8% for the hindlimbs, respectively. At trot the best performing algorithm achieved accuracy, precision and percentage of error of -27.6/8.8 ms/-8.4% for the forelimbs and 6.3/33.5 ms/9.1% for the hindlimbs.Main limitationsThe described algorithms have not been assessed on different surfaces.ConclusionsInertial measurement unit technology can be used to determine temporal kinematic stride variables at walk and trot justifying its use in gait and performance analysis. However, precision of the method may not be sufficient to detect all possible lameness-related changes. These data seem promising enough to warrant further research to evaluate whether this approach will be useful for appraising the majority of clinically relevant gait changes encountered in practice.
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Project description:Wearable sensors are becoming increasingly popular for complementing classical clinical assessments of gait deficits. The aim of this review is to examine the existing knowledge by systematically reviewing a large number of papers focusing on the use of wearable inertial sensors for the assessment of gait during the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), a widely recognized, simple, non-invasive, low-cost and reproducible exercise test. After a systematic search on PubMed and Scopus databases, two raters evaluated the quality of 28 full-text articles. Then, the available knowledge was summarized regarding study design, subjects enrolled (number of patients and pathological condition, if any, age, male/female ratio), sensor characteristics (type, number, sampling frequency, range) and body placement, 6MWT protocol and extracted parameters. Results were critically discussed to suggest future directions for the use of inertial sensor devices in the clinics.
| S-EPMC7249076 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:Gait analysis is valuable for studying neuromuscular and skeletal diseases. Wearable motion sensors or inertial measurement units (IMUs) have become common for human gait analysis. Canines are important large animal models for translational research of human diseases. Our objective is to develop a method for accurate and reliable determination of the timing of each stride in dogs using a wearable IMU. METHODS:We built a wireless IMU sensor using off-the-shelf components. We also developed a MATLAB algorithm for data acquisition and stride timing determination. Stride parameters from 1,259 steps of three adult mixed breed dogs were determined across a range of six height-normalized speeds using the IMU system. The IMU results were validated by frame-by-frame manual counting of high-speed video recordings. RESULTS:Comparing IMU derived results with video revealed that the mean error ± standard deviation for stride, stance, and swing duration was 0.001 ± 0.025, -0.001 ± 0.030, and 0.001 ± 0.019 s respectively. A mean error ± standard deviation of 0.000 ± 0.020 and -0.008 ± 0.027 s was obtained for determining toe-off and toe-touch events respectively. Only one step was missed by the algorithm in the video dataset of 1,259 steps. CONCLUSION:We have developed and validated an IMU method for automatic canine gait analysis. Our method can be used for studying neuromuscular diseases in veterinary clinics and in translational research.
| S-EPMC6002023 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Equestrian sports have been a source of numerous studies throughout the past two decades, however, few scientists have focused on the biomechanical effects, including muscle activation, that the horse has on the rider. Because equitation is a sport of two (the horse-human dyad), we believe there is a need to fill in the knowledge gap in human biomechanics during riding. To investigate the differences between novice and advanced riders at a neuromuscular level we characterized the motor output of a set of riders' key muscles during horse riding. Six recreational riders (24 ± 7 years) and nine professional riders (31 ± 5 years) from the Spanish Classical School of Riding (Lipica) volunteered to take part in this study. Riders' upper body, core and lower limb muscles were monitored and synchronized with inertial data from the left horse's leg at walk, rising trot and canter. We used principal component analysis to extract muscle modes. Three modes were identified in the advanced group whereas five modes were identified in the novice group. From the novice group, one mode united dorsal and ventral muscles of the body (reciprocal mode). Advanced riders showed higher core muscles engagement and better intermuscular coordination. We concluded that advanced horse riding is characterized by an ability to activate muscles contralaterally but not reciprocally (dorsal-ventral contraction). In addition, activating each muscle independently with different levels of activation, and the ability to quickly decrease overall muscle activity is distinctive of advanced riders.
| S-EPMC7446812 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Fetlock joint angle (FJA) pattern is a sensitive indicator of lameness. The first aim of this study is to describe a network of inertial measurement units system (IMUs) for quantifying FJA simultaneously in all limbs. The second aim is to evaluate the accuracy of IMUs for quantifying the sagittal plane FJA overground in comparison to bi-dimensional (2-D) optical motion capture (OMC). 14 horses (7 free from lameness and 7 lame) were enrolled and analyzed with both systems at walk and trot on a firm surface. All enrolled horses were instrumented with 8 IMUs (a pair for each limb) positioned at the dorsal aspect of the metacarpal/metatarsal bone and pastern and acquiring data at 200 Hz. Passive markers were glued on the center of rotation of carpus/tarsus, fetlock, and distal interphalangeal joint, and video footages were captured at 60 Hz and digitalized for OMC acquisition. The IMU system accuracy was reported as Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC). The Granger Causality Test (GCT) and the Bland-Altman analysis were computed between the IMUs and OMC patterns to determine the agreement between the two systems. The proposed IMU system was able to provide FJAs in all limbs using a patented method for sensor calibration and related algorithms. Fetlock joint range of motion (FJROM) variability of three consecutive strides was analyzed in the population through 3-way ANOVA. FJA patterns quantified by IMUs demonstrated high accuracy at the walk (RMSE 8.23° ± 3.74°; PCC 0.95 ± 0.03) and trot (RMSE 9.44° ± 3.96°; PCC 0.96 ± 0.02) on both sound (RMSE 7.91° ± 3.19°; PCC 0.97 ± 0.03) and lame horses (RMSE 9.78° ± 4.33°; PCC 0.95 ± 0.03). The two systems' measurements agreed (mean bias around 0) and produced patterns that were in temporal agreement in 97.33% of the cases (p < 0.01). The main source of variability between left and right FJROM in the population was the presence of lameness (p < 0.0001) and accounted for 28.46% of this total variation. IMUs system accurately quantified sagittal plane FJA at walk and trot in both sound and lame horses.
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Project description:The present study investigated accelerations of the front and hind hooves of horses comparing two different shoe types. A standard steel shoe, with studs, pins, and in some instances with toe grabs, was compared to a steel shoe covered on the bottom with a layer of polyurethane. Four horses were used; they trotted in hand on an asphalt track at their self-selected speed. The results showed significantly reduced decelerations during the stance phase with the polyurethane-covered shoes (10th percentile median steel -2.77 g, polyurethane -2.46 g; p = 0.06) and significantly increased decelerations in front hooves compared to hind hooves with steel shoes (70th percentile median -1.04 g front hooves, 0.12 g hind hooves, p = 0.04). Horses trotted faster using longer strides with the polyurethane-covered shoes compared to the steel shoes. The results show that effects of shoe types should be investigated simultaneously in front and hind hooves, and that PU shoes may aid in reducing the overload present in the front limbs of horses.
| S-EPMC6940983 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLameness assessment in horses is still predominantly performed using subjective methods. Visual assessment is known to have moderate to good intra-rater agreement but relatively poor inter-rater agreement. Little is known about inter- and intra-rater agreement on the evaluation of back motion, for which no objective measurement technique in a clinical setting is available thus far.ObjectivesTo describe inter- and intra-rater agreement of visual evaluation of equine back mobility.Study designRater reliability study using a fully crossed design in which all horses are rated by all observers. This data is compared with objective gait analysis.MethodsSeventy equine professionals (veterinarians and physiotherapists) and veterinary students evaluated videos of 12 healthy horses at walk and trot on a hard, straight line. Nine parameters related to back mobility were scored: general mobility, thoracic, lumbar, lumbosacral flexion and extension and left and right thoracolumbar latero-flexion. All parameters were compared with simultaneously measured quantitative motion parameters. After 1 month, six randomly chosen horses were re-evaluated by 57 observers.ResultsFor each parameter inter- and intra-rater agreements were calculated using intra-class correlation coefficients. For all parameters, inter-rater agreement was very poor (<0.2). The mean intra-rater agreement of all observers and for all parameters was poor (~0.4) but varied between 0.0 and 0.96 for individual observers. There was no correlation between the visual subjective scoring and objective gait analysis measurements.Main limitationsHorses were scored from videos and by lack of any existing (semi-) quantitative system, a custom-made system had to be used.ConclusionsThe poor inter- and intra-rater agreements of visual scoring of mobility of the equine back and the disagreement between subjective and objective gait analysis data, demonstrate the need for the development and introduction of objective, quantitative and repeatable techniques to assess equine back motion.
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Project description:Stroke is the second leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability in the world. According to the World Health Organization, 11 million people suffer a stroke yearly. The cost of the disease is exorbitant, and the most widely used treatment is conventional physiotherapy. Therefore, assistive technology emerges to optimize rehabilitation and functional capabilities, but cost, robustness, usability, and long-term results still restrict the technology selection. This work aimed to develop a low-cost ankle orthosis, the G-Exos, a wearable exoskeleton to increase motor capability by assisting dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, and ankle stability. A hybrid system provided near-natural gait movements using active, motor, and passive assistance, elastic band. The system was validated with 10 volunteers with foot drop: seven with stroke, two with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), and one with acute inflammatory transverse myelitis (ATM). The G-Exos showed assistive functionality for gait movement. A Friedman test showed a significant difference in dorsiflexion amplitude with the use of the G-Exos compared to gait without the use of the G-Exos [x 2 (3) = 98.56, p < 0.001]. In addition, there was also a significant difference in ankle eversion and inversion comparing walking with and without the G-Exos [x 2 (3) = 36.12, p < 0.001]. The G-Exos is a robust, lightweight, and flexible assistive technology device to detect the gait phase accurately and provide better human-machine interaction. G-Exos training improved capability to deal with gait disorders, usability, and motor and functional recovery. Wearable assistive technologies lead to a better quality of life and contribute using in activities of daily living.
| S-EPMC9684314 | biostudies-literature