Interpolation techniques to reduce error in measurement of toe clearance during obstacle avoidance.

Foot and toe clearance (TC) are used regularly to describe locomotor control for both clinical and basic research. However, accuracy of TC during obstacle crossing can be compromised by typical sample frequencies, which do not capture the frame when the foot is over the obstacle due to high limb velocities. The purpose of this study was to decrease the error of TC measures by increasing the spatial resolution of the toe trajectory with interpolation. Five young subjects stepped over an obstacle in the middle of an 8 m walkway. Position data were captured at 600 Hz as a gold standard signal (GS-600-Hz). The GS-600-Hz signal was downsampled to 60 Hz (DS-60-Hz). The DS-60-Hz was then interpolated by either upsampling or an algorithm. Error was calculated as the absolute difference in TC between GS-600-Hz and each of the remaining signals, for both the leading limb and the trailing limb. All interpolation methods reduced the TC error to a similar extent. Interpolation reduced the median error of trail TC from 5.4 to 1.1 mm; the maximum error was reduced from 23.4 to 4.2 mm (16.6-3.8%). The median lead TC error improved from 1.6 to 0.5 mm, and the maximum error improved from 9.1 to 1.8 mm (5.3-0.9%). Therefore, interpolating a 60 Hz signal is a valid technique to decrease the error of TC during obstacle crossing.