What is it and Why it is important? In simplest terms, “markerless tracking” is the ability to track the movement of human beings without instrumentation attached to the body.  Most traditional tracking technologies involve attaching reflective markers or 6DOF sensors (Inertial Measurement Units or electro magnetic sensors) to body segments to determine the position and orientation of the segment.  Markerless tracking would extract that information with less invasive methods using digital video. Instrumenting subjects is a problem on many levels.  Elite athletes are partic ..read more

  Introduction             In our last blog, we described our history with markerless motion tracking dating back to 2009 with early shape fitting methods.  We discussed the benefits we saw with AI based tracking methods and, our view of the future of markerless tracking as described in this short video.  In this blog we will share our early experience with three of the AI based markerless systems that have powered acceptance of this technology (SwRI, KinaTrax, and Theia 3D).  We will place special emphasis on the data ..read more

  Introduction                 Since the early 1990’s there have been significant advances in hardware to track and measure human motion.  Cameras, electro-magnetic trackers, and inertial measurement units to track the position and orientation of the body; EMG sensors to track muscle recruitment; EEG sensors to monitor brainwaves that initiate recruitment; and eye-trackers to identify stimuli that generate movement are all examples of hardware used to study human motion.  Because of these hardware advance ..read more

Biofeedback – What are the possibilities? With the release of The MotionMonitor xGen, our inaugural blog shared some of the things you have been telling us regarding the state of motion capture software.  Biofeedback and its use to understand human movement was one topic with lots of interest.  In this blog we will explore the topic and user applications in more detail. What is biofeedback? A typical definition of Biofeedback is “a treatment in which patients learn to control bodily processes that are normally involuntary such as muscle tension, blood pressure, or heart rate.” &n ..read more

How has COVID-19 Complicated Data Collection? Data collection has gotten much more complicated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping subject and researcher safe means following guidelines introduced by research institutions regarding the interaction between subjects and researchers. In addition, the use of instrumentation and proper cleaning add time and uncertainty to the process.  Because we support the integration of many hardware systems used to collect data, we did a survey of our suppliers to better understand their cleaning guidelines. Basics of Cleaning There have been many su ..read more

Hybrid Systems and How They Enhance Biomechanics Research In our last posting, we outlined several topics that clients have been requesting over the years as ways to extend and deepen the area of motion capture and biomechanics research.  One area we discussed briefly was Hybrid systems. Hybrid Systems:  Only a few clients have actually said, “We need a ‘hybrid system.’ ”  But lots of you have said, “I wish I could have the unique advantages that each technology offers in one package.”  It is widely recognized that different technologies have different advantages and di ..read more

Real Time Data Collection – What is it & Why Does it Matter? In March, our inaugural blog identified concepts that our clients had highlighted as important features of motion capture systems.  One of the most important was real time data collection.  This blog expands on that feature and identifies what constitutes real time data collection, the benefits that arise from real time as well as questions that can help ensure your system will generate the benefits you are hoping for. What is Real Time?   Eddie Cramp put it well in a 1/10/2018 post on Biomch-L: “Some manuf ..read more

In our inaugural blog I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of the things you have been telling us regarding the state of motion capture.  During the 24 years that we have been providing software solutions to the research community you have shared your opinions on what works, what doesn’t and what functionality you would like to see in the years ahead.  Here are some of the things we have heard: Real Time  One request that you have raised often is the desire to see live data and skeletal animations streaming during data collection. There are so many benefits to this ..read more