A Detection System for Center of Pressure Change and Lower Extremity Kinematics During Pregnancy for Welfare Design Recommendation of Pregnant Women

Since human feet bears body weight, they play a crucial role in daily life activities. The increase in joint load as a result of an increase in body mass during pregnancy will certainly affect the postural balance and walking balance of pregnant women. Therefore, a system with pressure sensor and accelerometer-gyroscope combined sensor computed by the STM32F10C8T6 microcontroller displayed data on a Personal Computer (PC) via Bluetooth communication. The results showed that the imitate gait of pregnant women compared to a normal gait had center of pressure (COP) position tending to the medial-anterior direction with a more diffuse COP deviation, decreased flexion and increased extension of the knee joint, and decreased plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of ankle joint. Recommendations from this study showed that pregnant women were more comfortable when using slippers footwear designs and the need for supporting cushions on the lower extremities when sitting/sleeping positions.