Wireless system for detection of FOG in patients with Parkinson's Disease

© 2017 IEEE. Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common progressive neurological disorder that affects 1% of the population over the 50 years. The clinical symptoms of PD are the most common resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and the gait blocking (FOG), among others. The FOG is the episodic disability of a normal gait common in advanced PD, resulting in a reduction of the mobility by increasing the possibility and the risk of falls. This article will develop a wireless system based on free software and hardware for the acquisition of real-time data from patients with episodes of FOG. The main features of the acquisition device will be: Low cost, portable, low weight and will be based on superficial tri-axial sensors, as well as Android application is developed for monitoring. The acquired data will be read and processed using the discrete wavelet transform to determine the energy levels of wavelet to subsequently generate a vibrating alert signal to pacing mode to avoid an episode of fog with the aim of improving the style of life and prevent possible falls in patients with PD.