Human motion analyses using footstep ultrasound and Doppler ultrasound

Abstract

Human footsteps generate periodic broadband frequency envelopes of sound due to dynamic friction forces. Also, human body motion when walking is a cyclic temporal process. The individual body parts have different acoustic cross sections and velocities that form unique human Doppler signatures. The paper introduces an approach to analyze this motion using passive and active ultrasound. The passive method employs a narrowband microphone that is sensitive to the sound from footsteps. The active method utilizes continuous-wave ultrasound to measure the Doppler shifted signal from the body appendages. These two methods show time synchronization between Doppler and ultrasonic human footstep signatures.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 14, 2008
Source ID
10.1121/1.2908823

Entities

People

  • Alexander Ekimov
  • James M. Sabatier

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • University of Mississippi

Tags

Readers

  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.
  • Medical Imaging.
  • Robotics and Automation.