MGait : Model-Based Gait Analysis Using Wearable Bend and Inertial Sensors

Movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, affect more than 10 million people worldwide. Gait analysis is a critical step in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of these disorders. Specifically, step and stride lengths provide valuable insights into the gait quality and rehabilitation process. However, traditional approaches for estimating step length are not suitable for continuous daily monitoring since they rely on special mats and clinical environments. To address this limitation, this article presents a novel and practical step-length estimation technique using low-power wearable bend and inertial sensors. Experimental results show that the proposed model estimates step length with 5.49% mean absolute percentage error and provides accurate real-time feedback to the user.

Benchmarking of tools for axon length measurement in individually-labeled projection neurons

Projection neurons are the commonest neuronal type in the mammalian forebrain and their individual characterization is a crucial step to understand how neural circuitry operates. These cells have an axon whose arborizations extend over long distances, branching in complex patterns and/or in multiple brain regions. Axon length is a principal estimate of the functional impact of the neuron, as it directly correlates with the number of synapses formed by the axon in its target regions; however, its measurement by direct 3D axonal tracing is a slow and labor-intensive method. On the contrary, axon length estimations have been recently proposed as an effective and accessible alternative, allowing a fast approach to the functional significance of the single neuron. Here, we analyze the accuracy and efficiency of the most used length estimation tools—design-based stereology by virtual planes or spheres, and mathematical correction of the 2D projected-axon length—in contrast with direct measurement, to quantify individual axon length. To this end, we computationally simulated each tool, applied them over a dataset of 951 3D-reconstructed axons (from NeuroMorpho.org), and compared the generated length values with their 3D reconstruction counterparts. The evaluated reliability of each axon length estimation method was then balanced with the required human effort, experience and know-how, and economic affordability. Subsequently, computational results were contrasted with measurements performed on actual brain tissue sections. We show that the plane-based stereological method balances acceptable errors (~5%) with robustness to biases, whereas the projection-based method, despite its accuracy, is prone to inherent biases when implemented in the laboratory. This work, therefore, aims to provide a constructive benchmark to help guide the selection of the most efficient method for measuring specific axonal morphologies according to the particular circumstances of the conducted research.

Research of Distorted Vehicle Magnetic Signatures Recognitions, for Length Estimation in Real Traffic Conditions

Reliable cost-effective traffic monitoring stations are a key component of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). While modern surveillance camera systems provide a high amount of data, due to high installation price or invasion of drivers’ personal privacy, they are not the right technology. Therefore, in this paper we introduce a traffic flow parameterization system, using a built-in pavement sensing hub of a pair of AMR (anisotropic magneto resistance) magnetic field and MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) accelerometer sensors. In comparison with inductive loops, AMR magnetic sensors are significantly cheaper, have lower installation price and cause less intrusion to the road. The developed system uses magnetic signature to estimate vehicle speed and length. While speed is obtained from the cross-correlation method, a novel vehicle length estimation algorithm based on characterization of the derivative of magnetic signature is presented. The influence of signature filtering, derivative step and threshold parameter on estimated length is investigated. Further, accelerometer sensors are employed to detect when the wheel of vehicle passes directly over the sensor, which cause distorted magnetic signatures. Results show that even distorted signatures can be used for speed estimation, but it must be treated with a more robust method. The database during the real-word traffic and hazard environmental condition was collected over a 0.5-year period and used for method validation.

Efficient Video-Based Vehicle Queue Length Estimation Using Computer Vision and Deep Learning for an Urban Traffic Scenario

In the traffic engineering realm, queue length estimation is considered one of the most critical challenges in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). Queue lengths are important for determining traffic capacity and quality, such that the risk for blockage in any traffic lane could be minimized. The Vision-based sensors show huge potentials compared to fixed or moving sensors as they offer flexibility for data acquisition due to large-scale deployment at a huge pace. Compared to others, these sensors offer low installation/maintenance costs and also help with other traffic surveillance related tasks. In this research, a CNN-based approach for estimation of vehicle queue length in an urban traffic scenario using low-resolution traffic videos is proposed. The system calculates queue length without the knowledge of any camera parameter or onsite calibration information. The estimation in terms of the number of cars is considered a priority as compared to queue length in the number of meters since the vehicular delay is the number of waiting cars times the wait time. Therefore, this research estimates queue length based on total vehicle count. However, length in meters is also provided by approximating average vehicle size as 5 m. The CNN-based approach helps with accurate tracking of vehicles’ positions and computing queue lengths without the need for installation of any roadside or in-vehicle sensors. Using a pre-trained 80-classes YOLOv4 model, an overall accuracy of 73% and 88% was achieved for vehicle-based and pixel-based queue length estimation. After further fine-tuning of model on the low-resolution traffic images and narrowing down the output classes to vehicle class only, an average accuracy of 83% and 93%, respectively, was achieved which shows the efficiency and robustness of the proposed approach.