Comons: A computer-based movement data management and simulation system

Abstract

In a variety of fields such as rehabilitation and ergonomics, the need for a standard way of describing and managing movement data is recognized. Current practices, often dictated by available instruments, have led to a plethora of presentation formats. To provide a framework for possible standardization, we have developed a personal computer-based system called COMONS, to describe, simulate and analyze movement data. The system can be run on any MS-DOS system (2.0+) with 512K memory, a colour graphics adaptor, monitor, a dot matrix printer, and the Multihalo graphics library. The COMONS package has several unique features. It allows description of movement as a series of postures adopted in time. Each posture is described numerically in terms of angular orientation, and also with the help of a fleshed out human figure whose dimensions can be altered to define any person. The interactive editing features allow the user to modify each posture very easily. The human figure can be shown interacting with objects. The shapes of the objects are user-specified. An important feature of COMONS allows two display modes for the movement: strobe mode which displays all the postures simultaneously, and animation mode which allows continuous real-time animation of the movement. Another feature allows comparisons of one movement file with another and flagging any parameter that falls outside preset bounds. Special options built for gait and lifting movements provide a summary strobe plot of movement along with some useful, calculated parameters such as stride length and maximum distance of the load from the pelvis. Such cost-effective packages can improve communication of information between groups and lead to improved health care; they can also be effective teaching and research tools for observational movement analyses.