MRI: Acquisition of a High Resolution High Speed 3D Motion Tracking System for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Research Training

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This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a versatile high speed, high precision 3D motion tracking system to enable fundamental research and education in biomechanics, dynamics and controls, robotics, neuroscience and biology. Greater understanding of animal motions and communication will enable design of robots with more versatile movement patterns and that can be more effective partners with humans in activities ranging from disaster recovery to health care and manufacturing. It will also provide the basis for new treatments for joint injuries and strategies to mitigate damage from osteoarthritis. This 3D motion capture system will be the centerpiece of a common space in which student and faculty researchers can engage in interdisciplinary collaborations. The acquisition will integrate high speed high precision motion tracking techniques into undergraduate STEM research and teaching, along with new tools, methods, and environments to foster the development of future researchers. Targeted programs at the university will enhance the participation of underrepresented groups. The 3D motion capture system is built around 20 Oqus 7+ cameras, each capable of a sustained data rate of 3.6 Gigapixels/sec -- allowing for frame rates and resolutions ranging from 12 Megapixels at 300fps to 3 Megapixels at 1100fps. The high-resolution and high-speed motion is needed to capture animals' complex, fast, and often subtle motion patterns for a better understanding of how body size affects locomotion, how injuries affect gait, and the role of motion in social interactions. The instrumentation can be configured into different size arenas to investigate a wide variety of issues, ranging from how soft systems learn to leverage their material properties to produce fast, dynamic and resilient behaviors (large set up) to smaller capture arenas with tracking of dozens of 1mm markers at sub-millimeter resolution to understand the complex relationship between joint loading and structural changes in bone.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.