Continuous Non-Invasive Assessment of Gait Speed Through Bluetooth Low Energy

Abstract

In the near future, as a consequence of the increasing percentage of elder people with respect to the total population, developed countries will face significant stress on their healthcare systems. The onset of some diseases associated with aging, such as dementia or cognitive decline, has been associated with a number of factors that can be detected in advance, thus offering the possibility of an early intervention to delay their onset. Specifically, several studies have shown a correlation between slower gait speed and serious cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this work we present a method, based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), capable of detecting the user’s walking speed in a continuous and non-invasive way, providing a useful tool for the monitoring and early detection of this type of diseases. The proposed method estimates the gait speed with an average error of less than 10 cm/s, and is capable of providing continuous non-invasive monitoring of the gait speed of users while they conduct their usual life routines, without any additional requirements other than wearing a smartwatch or an activity band with inertial sensors and BLE capabilities.