A Novel Method to Characterize Walking and Running Energy Expenditure

Background: Physical activity and corresponding energy expenditure can improve health in various ways. Existing methods to directly measure energy expenditure are currently limited to laboratory settings and/or expensive instrumentation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate accuracy of energy expenditure characterization, during walking and running, using demographic data, as well as data collected via an accelerometer and novel piezoresponsive foam sensors. Methods: 30 individuals (14 females; mass = 67 ± 10 kg; height = 1.74 ± 0.08 m; age = 23 ± 3 yrs) walked and ran at five speeds (1.34, 2.23, 2.68, 3.13, and 3.58 m/s) on a force-instrumented treadmill while wearing a metabolic analyzer and standardized athletic shoes instrumented with an accelerometer, and four novel nanocomposite piezoresponsive force sensors. Various predictive models, including demographic data and data derived from the accelerometer and force sensors, were evaluated for each gait speed. Results: The predictive models varied i...