A comparison of machine learning models’ accuracy in predicting lower-limb joints’ kinematics, kinetics, and muscle forces from wearable sensors

A combination of wearable sensors' data and Machine Learning (ML) techniques has been used in many studies to predict specific joint angles and moments. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of four different non-linear regression ML models to estimate lower-limb joints' kinematics, kinetics, and muscle forces using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and electromyographys' (EMGs) data. Seventeen healthy volunteers (9F, 28 ± 5 years) were asked to walk over-ground for a minimum of 16 trials. For each trial, marker trajectories and three force-plates data were recorded to calculate pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle kinematics and kinetics, and muscle forces (the targets), as well as 7 IMUs and 16 EMGs. The features from sensors' data were extracted using the Tsfresh python package and fed into 4 ML models; Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine, and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline for targets' prediction. The RF and CNN models outperformed the other ML models by providing lower prediction errors in all intended targets with a lower computational cost. This study suggested that a combination of wearable sensors' data with an RF or a CNN model is a promising tool to overcome the limitations of traditional optical motion capture for 3D gait analysis.