Accelerometers
The PROPRIO FOOT® uses accelerometers to sample ankle motion over a thousand times per second. It identifies specific ankle motion events such as heel strike, to enable a timely response to variations in terrain and activity.
Foot motion is continuously analyzed. For each stride, gait pattern recognition algorithms in the foot are used to detect and identify when a user is walking on flat or sloped surfaces and up or down stairs, as well as when stationary or in a ‘relaxed’ position (seated). As fast as it measures, the data is fed into the ‘brain’ of the device, Terrain Logic™.
When a limb is lost, so too are some of the body’s natural ‘mechanoreceptors’ – the cells that can sense a range of mechanical stimuli and communicate that information to the central nervous system. Sophisticated sensor technology is one of three distinct elements that currently dominate Ossur’s intelligent structures. A combination of sensors act together to replace the mechanoreceptor function and provide input to artificial proprioception.
One such sensor is an accelerometer - an instrument for measuring acceleration or mechanical motion. Accelerometers are often incorporated into electronic devices to measure tilt, motion, position, vibration and shock. Other applications include collision detection in vehicles, where the technology triggers safety devices such as inflatable airbags. Motion analysis for the PROPRIO FOOT is built on the patented Dynastream technology platform.