Instrumented artificial intelligence (ai) driven motion tracking and alignment systems and methods for various applications

Abstract

AI driven motion tracking and alignment systems configured to generate time-normalized three dimensional (e.g. frontal, sagittal, transverse) data associated with pronation and/or supination of lower extremities of a user are described. A semi-rigid foot orthotic can have sensors embedded in flexible regions. Data from the sensors is used to measure how the orthotic bends to determine forces from a lower extremity of the user acting on the orthotic. Data on the flexing, bending, and/or rotating of portions of the orthotic (including velocities, accelerations) may be compared to analyze in shoe pronation and/or supination. Other detectors can measure the temperature, body weight, heart rate, and timing of motion. An adjustment device can be used to adjust the orthotic. Data may also facilitate generation of animation that accurately depicts the positions and/or movements of a user's body; the use of augmented and virtual reality for avatar based applications; and presentation of information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system comprising:
 a) a semi-rigid orthotic of a foot-conforming shape having at least a portion that is semi-flexible during movement of a user, the orthotic configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user such that there is a freedom of motion between the semi-rigid orthotic and the shoe, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to temporarily bend under load to control, restrict, or reduce motion of a foot of the user during the movement, the semi-rigid orthotic configured for complex flexing, bending, and/or rotating in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes;   b) an electronic system embedded in the semi-rigid orthotic comprising:
 one or more sensors in one or more locations on the semi-rigid orthotic configured to generate output signals conveying information related to a position, movement, and orientation of different regions in the semi-flexible portion; and 
 a CPU and memory in electronic communication with the one or more sensors where the memory comprises a program that reads sensor data in the output signals, and the CPU is configured to (1) process the sensor data to determine a pattern of motion of the semi-rigid orthotic, the pattern of motion comprising a direction, magnitude, and timing, of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the semi-rigid orthotic at different points during the movement of the user, and (2) compare the sensor data from a given sensor to data from other sensors on the semi-rigid orthotic, to previously taken data, and/or to motion of the shoe; and 
   c) a piezoelectric transducer for altering an adjustable device of the semi-rigid orthotic to conform the semi-rigid orthotic more closely to the foot of the user based on the sensor data.   
     
     
         2 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 1 , wherein altering the adjustable device of the semi-rigid orthotic changes an alignment of the semi-rigid orthotic to the foot of the user, and is automated based on a signal from the one or more sensors and/or the CPU such that user input is not required for an adjustment. 
     
     
         3 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable device can be used with modular components to adjust the semi-rigid orthotic. 
     
     
         4 . An instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system comprising:
 a) a semi-rigid orthotic of a foot-conforming shape having at least a portion that is semi-flexible during movement of a user, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user such that there is a freedom of motion between the semi-rigid orthotic and the shoe, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to temporarily bend under load to control, restrict, or reduce motion of a foot of the user during the movement, the semi-rigid orthotic configured for complex flexing, bending, and/or rotating in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes;   b) an electronic system embedded in the semi-rigid orthotic comprising:
 one or more sensors in one or more locations on the semi-rigid orthotic configured to generate output signals conveying information related to a position, movement, and orientation of different regions in the semi-flexible portion; and 
 a CPU and memory in electronic communication with the one or more sensors where the memory comprises a program that reads sensor data in the output signals, and the CPU is configured to (1) pre-process the sensor data to determine a pattern of motion of the semi-rigid orthotic, the pattern of motion comprising a direction, magnitude, and timing, of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the semi-rigid orthotic at different points during the movement or the gait cycle of the user, and (2) compare the sensor data from a given sensor to data from other sensors on the semi-rigid orthotic, to previously taken data, and/or to motion of the shoe; and 
   c) modular components in the semi-rigid orthotic configured to tilt or elevate the semi-rigid orthotic in different increments based on the sensor data.   
     
     
         5 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components elevate a heel of the foot in different increments. 
     
     
         6 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components comprise geometries with different lengths, widths, and thicknesses. 
     
     
         7 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components change timing of motion of a heel and a midfoot of the user. 
     
     
         8 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components can be used with an adjustable device to adjust the semi-rigid orthotic. 
     
     
         9 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components tilt a heel of the semi-rigid orthotic in a valgas manner. 
     
     
         10 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic adjustment system of  claim 4 , wherein the modular components tilt a heel of the semi-rigid orthotic in a varus manner. 
     
     
         11 . An instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system comprising:
 a) a semi-rigid orthotic of a foot-conforming shape having at least a portion that is semi-flexible during movement of a user, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user such that there is a freedom of motion between the semi-rigid orthotic and the shoe, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to temporarily bend under load to control, restrict, or reduce motion of a foot of the user during the movement or the gait cycle, the orthotic configured for complex flexing, bending, and/or rotating in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes; and   b) an electronic system coupled to the semi-rigid orthotic comprising:
 one or more sensors in one or more locations on the semi-rigid orthotic configured to generate output signals conveying information related to a position, movement, and orientation of different regions in the semi-flexible portion; 
 detectors on the semi-rigid orthotic that measure temperature, body weight, heart rate, and timing of motion; and 
 a CPU and memory in electronic communication with the one or more sensors and detectors, wherein the memory comprises a program that reads sensor data and detector data in the output signals, and the CPU is configured to (1) process the sensor data to determine a pattern of motion of the semi-rigid orthotic, the pattern of motion comprising a direction, magnitude, and timing, of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the semi-rigid orthotic at different points during the movement of the user, and (2) compare the sensor data from a given sensor to data from other sensors on the semi-rigid orthotic, to previously taken data, and/or to motion of the shoe; and (3) compare the detector data to previously taken detector data. 
   
     
     
         12 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system of  claim 11 , wherein a temperature detector measures a real-time body temperature of the user. 
     
     
         13 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system of  claim 11 , wherein a body weight detector measures a body weight of the user, which is stored to compare to previous body weight data. 
     
     
         14 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system of  claim 11 , wherein a heart rate detector measures a real-time heart rate of the user. 
     
     
         15 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system of  claim 11 , wherein a timing of motion detector measures a timing of motion between a heel and a midfoot of the foot of the user. 
     
     
         16 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system of  claim 11 , wherein data collected by the detectors on the orthotic are used to optimize the instrumented semi-rigid orthotic system. 
     
     
         17 . An instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system comprising one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
 a) receive output signals from an electronic system coupled to a semi-rigid orthotic worn by a user, the electronic system comprising one or more sensors in one or more locations on the semi-rigid orthotic configured to generate the output signals, the output signals conveying information related to position, movement, and orientation of a different regions of the orthotic, the semi-rigid orthotic having a foot-conforming shape and having at least a portion that is semi-flexible during movement or a gait cycle of the user, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user such that there is a freedom of motion between the semi-rigid orthotic and the shoe, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to temporarily bend under load to control, restrict, or reduce motion of a foot of the user during the movement or the gait cycle, the semi-rigid orthotic configured for complex flexing, bending, and/or rotating in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes;   b) determine, based on the information in the output signals, a pattern of motion of the semi-rigid orthotic, the pattern of motion comprising a timing, direction, and degree of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the semi-rigid orthotic at multiple points during movement of the user;   c) compare sensor data from a given sensor to data from other sensors on the semi-rigid orthotic, to previously taken data, and/or to motion of the shoe; and   d) stream and display, in real-time, a comparison of the sensor data from the given sensor to the data from other sensors on the semi-rigid orthotic, to the previously taken data, and/or to the motion of the shoe, wherein the one or more processors are part of one or more of the semi-rigid orthotic, a phone, a watch, a tablet, or a computer.   
     
     
         18 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein the data is displayed on a smartphone. 
     
     
         19 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein the display includes avatar training of the user. 
     
     
         20 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein the display includes feedback and coaching comprising motion adjustments, post op, and/or post injury rehab. 
     
     
         21 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , further configured by the machine-readable instructions to determine, based on the comparison, that the shoe of the user should be replaced. 
     
     
         22 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , further configured by the machine-readable instructions to determine, based on the comparison, that the motion of the user indicates a neurological disorder or depression in the user. 
     
     
         23 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , further configured by the machine-readable instructions to use one or more pattern recognition algorithms, and time normalized data from the one or more sensors, to detect variation in graphical depictions of movement cycle shapes. 
     
     
         24 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein the electronic system is used with and/or built into a shoe, a boot, a sandal, a high heel shoe, or other footwear, scales, floors, equipment associated with user standing and/or movement, medical equipment configured for testing industrial function, work out equipment, and/or sports equipment. 
     
     
         25 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein the electronic system is configured to generate or receive a timing pulse configured to facilitate coordination with other technologies. 
     
     
         26 . The instrumented semi-rigid orthotic evaluation and display system of  claim 17 , wherein data from the electronic system is configured to be used to help animators generate realistic CGI movement patterns for characters generated with GGI. 
     
     
         27 . A data generation system, comprising:
 one or more sensors configured to be located near one or more locations on a foot of a user, the one or more sensors configured to generate output signals conveying information related to position, movement, and orientation of one or more different regions of the foot, the one or more sensors configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user with the foot, the foot configured to temporarily flex, bend, and/or rotate in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes during movement throughout a movement cycle; and   one or more processors configured to determine, based on the information in the output signals, a pattern of motion of the foot, the pattern of motion comprising a timing, direction, and degree of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the foot at multiple points during movement throughout the gait cycle of the user,   wherein the pattern of motion of the foot is configured to be used to generate animation, motion tracking, motion analysis, and/or movement related classification, that accurately depicts positions and/or movements of the user's foot, ankle, knee, leg, and/or hip.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein animation comprises computer generated imagery (CGI). 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein data from the one or more sensors and/or the one or more processors is configured to be used to help animators generate realistic CGI movement patterns for characters generated with GGI. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, strain gauges, force transducers, temperature sensors, weight sensors, timing sensors, pressure transducers, and/or location sensors. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to use one or more pattern recognition algorithms, and time normalized data from the one or more sensors, to determine the pattern of motion. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the one or more sensors are configured to be directly coupled to the foot of the user at or near the one or more locations. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 27 , further comprising a foot covering configured to be worn on the foot of the user, the foot covering configured to carry the one or more sensors and locate the one or more sensors at or near the one or more locations on the foot of a user. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the foot covering comprises a sock, a strap, multiple straps, and/or a strap system. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the foot covering comprises a sock with the strap, multiple straps, and/or strap system integrally incorporated into the sock. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the foot covering comprises the strap, the multiple straps, and/or the strap system, and wherein the strap, the multiple straps, and/or strap system is configured for mechanical control of the foot. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the foot covering comprises the strap, the multiple straps, and/or the strap system, and wherein the strap, the multiple straps, and/or strap system is not configured for mechanical control of the foot. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the foot covering comprises the strap, the strap configured to be coupled to the foot at a first end on a side of an arch of the foot, wrap under the arch and over a top of the foot so that a second end of the strap is configured to be coupled to the foot and/or the first end on the side of the arch. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the foot covering comprises the strap system, or the multiple straps, the strap system or the multiple straps comprising a first strap configured to be wrapped around an arch of the foot, and a second strap configured to wrap around a heel of the foot. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 27 , further comprising a Bluetooth low energy transmitter having an antennae. 
     
     
         41 . An instrumented artificial intelligence (AI) driven motion tracking and alignment system usable in various applications, the system comprising:
 a semi-rigid orthotic, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to be worn by a user, the semi-rigid orthotic having a foot-conforming shape and having at least a portion that is semi-flexible during movement of the user, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to be removably inserted into a shoe of the user such that there is a freedom of motion between the semi-rigid orthotic and the shoe, the semi-rigid orthotic configured to temporarily bend under load to control, restrict, or reduce motion of a foot of the user during the movement or the gait cycle, the semi-rigid orthotic configured for complex flexing, bending, and/or rotating in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes during movement throughout a movement cycle of the user;   one or more sensors coupled to the semi-rigid orthotic near one or more locations on the foot of a user, the one or more sensors configured to generate output signals conveying information related to position, movement, and orientation of one or more different regions of semi-rigid orthotic, the one or more sensors configured to be removably inserted into the shoe of the user with the semi-rigid orthotic and the foot; and   one or more processors operatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the semi-rigid orthotic, the one or more processors configured to determine, based on the information in the output signals, a pattern of motion of the semi-rigid orthotic, the pattern of motion comprising a timing, direction, and degree of flexing, bending, and/or rotating of the different regions of the semi-rigid orthotic at multiple points during movement throughout the movement cycle of the user;   wherein the pattern of motion:
 is time normalized by the one or more processors for a plurality of movement cycles; 
 comprises a rich three dimensional (frontal, sagittal, and transverse) data set; and 
 is usable by AI based systems to make predictions, and/or to generate a predictive model configured to make predictions, for users. 
   
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the pattern of motion is indicative of pronation and/or supination, if present, in the user. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the AI based systems comprise machine learning models including generative models, large language models, and/or neural networks. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the AI based systems are configured to predict user injury, athletic ability, an optimal piece of equipment, a setting for such equipment, stability in senior citizens, and/or a type of sport or work that is best for a user; and/or classify a user as higher risk for injury, lower risk for injury. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the movement cycle of the user comprises a cycled event, task, or test associated with human motion that results in a rating, score, or classification. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the pattern of motion is further useable by the AI systems to generate realistic animation, motion tracking, motion analysis, and/or movement related classification, that accurately depicts positions and/or movements of the user's foot, ankle, knee, leg, and/or hip. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , wherein animation comprises computer generated imagery (CGI). 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, strain gauges, force transducers, temperature sensors, weight sensors, timing sensors, pressure transducers, and/or location sensors. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to use one or more AI pattern recognition algorithms, and time normalized data from the one or more sensors, to determine the pattern of motion. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 41 , further comprising a Bluetooth low energy transmitter having an antennae configured to transmit data associated with the pattern of motion to another computing device. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the other computing device is configured to use one or more AI pattern recognition algorithms, and time normalized data from the one or more sensors, to detect variation in graphical depictions of movement cycle shapes. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate or receive a timing pulse configured to facilitate coordination with other technologies. 
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 41 , further comprising a self-charging power source configured to power the one or more sensors and/or the one or more processors. 
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 53 , wherein the self-charging power source comprises a self-charging battery. 
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 54 , wherein the self-charging battery includes and/or is operatively associated with one or more piezoelectric components configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy that can be used to charge the self-charging battery.