In this chapter, we describe the aging process and, more specifically, the pathological aging, associated with neurodegenerative diseases and its relation with gait. Then, we explain the importance of using quantitative gait analysis techniques using wearables and other technologies to diagnose different conditions that can be complex to discriminate using only the physician naked-eye diagnosis. We analyze different approaches used for gait analysis using wearables and affordable devices like inertial units (IMU), accelerometers, and depth cameras like Microsoft Kinect or Intel’s RealSense, which have been available at least in an academic context but will be available for daily use in the near future.
Part of the book: Smart Healthcare