PGMAS

The advancement of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) along with micro-fabrication techniques have revolutionised the concept of inertial measurement units (IMUs) resulting in cheaper and compact devices, within easy reach of end users (Benbasat, 2000).

MEMS based systems have eased data acquisition and processing facilities attracting attention from scientific, sporting and entertainments sectors (Nwagboso, 1993). MEMS Accelerometers have been used in airbag deployment, suspension control, distance measurement, etc. MEMS Gyroscopes provide relative orientation and are used in applications ranging from in-vehicle tracking systems to cell-phone games (Nwagboso, 1993).

IMUs containing MEMS based accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers have previously been developed (GAMES, See Raghavan and Sharma, 2009) for the purposes of monitoring gait movement to aid rehabilitation in patients suffering from neuro-muscular pathological disorders. Algorithms were designed and developed in order to process the data received to calculate stride lengths and velocities as well as identifying various hand gestures performed by patients undergoing physiotherapy exercises (See Goh, Ramanathan and Lim, 2010).