SGER: Scientific Rotoscoping: A Morphology-Based Method of 3-D Motion Analysis and Visualization

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SGER: Scientific Rotoscoping: A Morphology-Based Method of3-D Motion Analysis and VisualizationStephen M. GatesyBrown UniversityThe analysis of movement is central to many fields of biological research. Tremendous progress has been made using point-based tracking systems, which calculate the three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates of markers attached to a human or animal subject. However, the detailed motion of internal structures such as bones is often beyond the reach of these superficial techniques. The complex and extremely rapid movements at the shoulder of a flying bird, for example, are not amenable to point-based motion analysis, yet are critical to understanding the biomechanics of flight.The goal of this SGER project is to demonstrate the power of 'Scientific Rotoscoping,' a promising new method for visualization and analysis of animal motion. Scientific rotoscoping is a morphology-based technique that involves fitting a 3-D computer model created from CT scans of a subject's actual anatomy (the 'key') into three, simultaneously recorded, video images (the 'lock'). As a proof-of-concept, scientific rotoscoping will be employed to collect skeletal and wing feather movement from videos of a pigeon flying in a wind tunnel. Results will be analyzed among and within flight speeds to provide fundamental insights into the control of avian flight, and will have immediate application to aerodynamic, biomechanical, physiological, paleontological, and evolutionary studies of birds. Scientific rotoscoping entails the innovative integration of existing digital tools (video, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, 3-D animation software). This novel technique will yield high-resolution motion data and scientifically accurate animations unobtainable by any other means, but has been considered too risky for a full proposal. SGER funds are an ideal way to validate the scientific and educational potential of a morphology-based approach.