This paper presents the development of a wearable accelerometry system for real-time gait cycle parameter recognition. Using a tri-axial accelerometer, the wearable motion detector is a single waist-mounted device to measure trunk accelerations during walking. Several gait cycle parameters, including cadence, step regularity, stride regularity and step symmetry can be estimated in real-time by using autocorrelation procedure. For validation purposes, five Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and five young healthy adults were recruited in an experiment. The gait cycle parameters among the two subject groups of different mobility can be quantified and distinguished by the system. Practical considerations and limitations for implementing the autocorrelation procedure in such a real-time system are also discussed. This study can be extended to the future attempts in real-time detection of disabling gaits, such as festinating or freezing of gait in PD patients. Ambulatory rehabilitation, gait assessment and personal telecare for people with gait disorders are also possible applications.

Arranging oral presentations has always been very difficult and ineffective in our large project-based engineering design class of about 110 students each year. This paper presents a scheme of implementing peer evaluation to improve students’ participation and learning outcome in the oral presentation sessions. Basically, students were asked to grade and comment on oral presentations by other students in a pre-defined manner. The effect of oral presentations with/without the intervention of peer evaluation was compared. Our data and questionnaire results showed, with careful design of the format, peer evaluation indeed improved students’ participation in oral presentations, naturally leading to more serious and positive learning attitude, and eventually a better learning outcome.