The EDGAR Platform
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EDGAR is the Experimental Dynamic Gait Arena for Rodents.
EDGAR is an open source, over ground, rodent gait arena capable of simultaneously measuring spatiotemporal and dynamic gait parameters. A full build of EDGAR consists of an arena structure and instrumented floor with built in force platforms. EDGAR is available in two different formats: one for spatiotemporal gait analysis alone, and one for combined spatiotemporal and dynamic gait analysis. EDGAR can be used to measure the following gait parameters: Animal velocity Temporal symmetries of the hind and fore limbs Spatial symmetries of the hind and fore limbs Stance time imbalance of the hind and fore limbs Duty factor of each limb Stride length Hind and fore limb step widths Step frequency* Limb phase between the fore and hind limbs* 3-component ground reaction forces** *Not typically reported by our calculator software **Only on dynamic floor builds of EDGAR See Jacobs BY, Kloefkorn HE, and Allen KD (2014), "Gait Analysis Method for Rodent Models of Osteoarthritis," Current Pain and Headache Reports, 18:456, 1-11. |
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How EDGAR Works
A high-speed camera is used to record gait trials of an animal in the arena. As the animal crosses the arena, the instrumented force platforms collect ground reaction force data when contacted. High-speed videos and force data files are then run through custom MATLAB codes developed by our lab, comprising the software portion of the GAITOR suite, to obtain gait parameters. The GAITOR Suite software package can be found under the "Resources/Publications" page, on our lab website, or on our lab's GitHub.
How to Build and Use EDGAR
This site provides instructions for constructing and using EDGAR to collect your own gait data. The "spatiotemporal only" and "spatiotemporal and dynamic" arenas have separate instructions, so be sure to follow the correct set of instructions for the arena type you wish to construct. Similarly, operation instructions are provided for both spatiotemporal and dynamic data collection. Navigate the pages on the top of the page to get started.
General Gait Analysis Procedure Using EDGAR
