People recovering from injuries, the elderly and even athletes could one day benefit from a gait analysis technology being developed by a team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The patented system uses electrical signature analysis to measure, interpret and record the current drawn by a treadmill as a patient walks. "When the heel strikes, the load increases, resulting in an increase in the current drawn by the motor," said Charles Hochanadel, a physical therapist and co-inventor of the technology. "Changes in the current represent the various phases of gait and allow us to interpret what's going on during each stride." Other inventors are Daryl Cox of the Energy and Transportation Science Division and Howard Haynes of the Measurement Science and Systems Engineering Division. "We are really just beginning to explore potential applications, including expanding from the lower body to upper extremities such as shoulder rehab and other commercial applications," Cox said.
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