Model-Based Design of Body Motion Sensing Technology using Systems Modeling Language and Coloured Petri Nets

Millions of people run, while movement scientists study the relationships between running kinematics and fatigue, injury or exercise economy. By using optoelectronic technologies to capture human motion, it has been possible to demonstrate that kinematics of running is highly individual and it is often not possible to characterize it using simple variables. In the present study, the model-based design methodology was applied to define the architecture of a body motion sensing technology for estimating the most significant parameters and indexes of running gait, using the Systems Modeling Language for graphic description of behavior and structure, complemented with Coloured Petri Nets for verification and a physical implementation in order to validate the design by means of automatic code generation. The approach shown in this article models the interactive behavior between components of the system using states and transitions, as well as conditions and events as the main semantics. It also allows rigorous static and dynamic analysis, providing benefits such as improved understanding of key issues in the design, fewer errors, reduced costs and risks, allowing a faster development process.