Parkinson's disease (PD) is increasingly being studied using science-intensive methods due to economic, medical, rehabilitation and social reasons. Wearable sensors and Internet of Things-enabled technologies look promising for monitoring motor activity and gait in PD patients. In this study, we sought to evaluate gait characteristics by analyzing the accelerometer signal received from a smartphone attached to the head during an extended TUG test, before and after single and repeated sessions of terrestrial microgravity modeled with the condition of "dry" immersion (DI) in five subjects with PD. The accelerometer signal from IMU during walking phases of the TUG test allowed for the recognition and characterization of up to 35 steps. In some patients with PD, unusually long steps have been identified, which could potentially have diagnostic value. It was found that after one DI session, stepping did not change, though in one subject it significantly improved (cadence, heel strike and step length). After a course of DI sessions, some characteristics of the TUG test improved significantly. In conclusion, the use of accelerometer signals received from a smartphone IMU looks promising for the creation of an IoT-enabled system to monitor gait in subjects with PD.
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; TUG test; accelerometry; gait; inertial measurement unit; smartphone; “dry” immersion.