Soft-Tissue Artefact of Wearable Inertial Measurement Units for Human Motion Analysis
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
There is a significant need to improve the measurement and isolation of soft-tissue artefact (STA) in the research area of human motion analysis. The problem is rooted in the researcher’s inability to directly estimate the bone position of subjects during trials. Advancements in mathematical modeling has allowed researchers to largely ameliorate the effect of STA in optical motion capture data. However, due to the increased flexibility of data collection, a method of human motion analysis utilizing wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) has been under development over the last several years. STA effects on the bone pose estimation enabled by wearable IMUs is often referenced as a limitation of the measurement modality but has yet to be quantified. To this end, we have collected bone pose (via established optical motion capture-based techniques) and wearable sensor data from 5 subjects. This study will have a sample size of n = 50 subjects upon completion. These data will be used to 1) quantify the magnitude of STA effects on the data gathered from wearable IMU’s attached at the anterior thigh and anterior shank throughout a standard gait cycle, and 2) develop a mathematical model for estimating STA. This model will be able to improve the validity of joint kinematics estimates made using skin-mounted IMUs.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Ryan McGinnis
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Lukas Adamowicz (Graduate Student), Reed Gurchiek (PhD Candidate)
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Biomedical Engineering
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Soft-Tissue Artefact of Wearable Inertial Measurement Units for Human Motion Analysis
There is a significant need to improve the measurement and isolation of soft-tissue artefact (STA) in the research area of human motion analysis. The problem is rooted in the researcher’s inability to directly estimate the bone position of subjects during trials. Advancements in mathematical modeling has allowed researchers to largely ameliorate the effect of STA in optical motion capture data. However, due to the increased flexibility of data collection, a method of human motion analysis utilizing wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) has been under development over the last several years. STA effects on the bone pose estimation enabled by wearable IMUs is often referenced as a limitation of the measurement modality but has yet to be quantified. To this end, we have collected bone pose (via established optical motion capture-based techniques) and wearable sensor data from 5 subjects. This study will have a sample size of n = 50 subjects upon completion. These data will be used to 1) quantify the magnitude of STA effects on the data gathered from wearable IMU’s attached at the anterior thigh and anterior shank throughout a standard gait cycle, and 2) develop a mathematical model for estimating STA. This model will be able to improve the validity of joint kinematics estimates made using skin-mounted IMUs.