deFOG — A real time system for detection and unfreezing of gait of Parkinson’s patients

Abstract

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a common complication in movement disorders, typically associated with the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease. Auditory cues might be used to facilitate unfreezing of gait and prevent fall related injuries. We present a wearable, unobtrusive system for real-time gait monitoring, which consists of an inertial wearable sensor and wireless headset for the delivery of acoustic cues. The system recognizes FOG episodes with minimum latency and delivers acoustic cues to unfreeze the gait. We present design of a system for the detection and unfreezing of gait (deFOG), and preliminary results of the feasibility study. In a limited test run of 4 test cases the system was able to detect freezing of gait with average latency of 332 ms, and maximum latency of 580 ms.