Abstract
BackgroundThe study of human movement within sports biomechanics and rehabilitation settings has made considerable progress over recent decades. However, developing a motion analysis system that collects accurate kinematic data in a timely, unobtrusive and externally valid manner remains an open challenge.Main bodyThis narrative review considers the evolution of methods for extracting kinematic information from images, observing how technology has progressed from laborious manual approaches to optoelectronic marker-based systems. The motion analysis systems which are currently most widely used in sports biomechanics and rehabilitation do not allow kinematic data to be collected automatically without the attachment of markers, controlled conditions and/or extensive processing times. These limitations can obstruct the routine use of motion capture in normal training or rehabilitation environments, and there is a clear desire for the development of automatic markerless systems. Such technology is emerging, often driven by the needs of the entertainment industry, and utilising many of the latest trends in computer vision and machine learning. However, the accuracy and practicality of these systems has yet to be fully scrutinised, meaning such markerless systems are not currently in widespread use within biomechanics.ConclusionsThis review aims to introduce the key state-of-the-art in markerless motion capture research from computer vision that is likely to have a future impact in biomechanics, while considering the challenges with accuracy and robustness that are yet to be addressed.
Highlights
The study of human movement within sports biomechanics and rehabilitation settings has made considerable progress over recent decades
This review aims to introduce the key state-of-the-art in markerless motion capture research from computer vision that is likely to have a future impact in biomechanics, while considering the challenges with accuracy and robustness that are yet to be addressed
This review considers how these new technologies could revolutionise the fields of sports biomechanics and rehabilitation by broadening the applications of motion analysis to include everyday training or competition environments
Summary
Vision-based motion analysis methods within sports and rehabilitation applications have evolved substantially over recent times and have allowed biomechanical research to contribute a vast amount of meaningful information to these fields. Considerable developments in computer vision have sparked interest in markerless motion analysis and its possible wider applications. This potential is promising, it is not yet clear exactly what accuracy can be achieved and whether such systems can be effectively and routinely utilised in field-based (more externally valid) settings. Authors’ Information SC has a PhD and is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the CAMERA project (see funding above) with expertise in analysing athletes’ technique. AS has a PhD and is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Sports Biomechanics with expertise in analysing athletes’ technique. He is a co-investigator in the CAMERA project. Author details 1CAMERA—Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. Author details 1CAMERA—Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. 2Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. 3Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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