Improving the Accuracy of Pedometer Used by the Elderly with the FFT Algorithm.

The article cites the study which evaluates the accuracy of accelerometer-type pedometers used by elderly with slow walking speeds with or without gait disorders. Eighteen subjects walked with cane and 31 subjects walked without cane. Researchers monitored the number of steps by pedometer (PM), also by visually counting the actual number of steps (RM) and the triaxial acceleration signals. Fourier transform (FFT) was used to calculate the direction of power spectrum of accelerometer. Results showed that PM was less than RM and an error of PM was also determined. Based on the results on the subjects, researchers concluded that the FFT method was suitable for estimating number of steps during walking.