In-field human motion monitoring for biomedical, ergonomics, and sports applications

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Human motion monitoring is applied to the development of 1) healthcare technologies for medical diagnosis, rehabilitation, and detection of falls and other emergency situations, 2) safety equipment for injury prevention in sport and industry sectors, 3) sportive equipment for training and performance assessment, 4) character animation tools in ergonomics and film industry, and 5) technology for virtual reality experience in education. Human motion measurement is traditionally performed in well-equipped laboratories with limited space. However, many of these applications above require in-field human motion measurement. Although wearable technologies are presently used for entertainment purposes, their application as high-precision motion-capture devices is still limited. This grant application seeks funding for a package of high-precision wearable sensors including a) body motion trackers placed on multiple body segments and a software package for motion tracking, and b) in-shoe pressure measurement insoles. Using the requested equipment, we aim at developing full-body kinematics and kinetics assessment and analysis techniques for out-of-lab body motion characterization in real-world applications. The proposed research programs are 1) human motion assessment for biomedical engineering solutions, 2) ergonomic and biomechanical assessment to prevent work-related injuries, 3) technology development for in-field sportive performance assessment. The proposed research programs benefit Canadians in several ways. First, the developed healthcare technologies and safety equipment to prevent fall-related, sport-related, and work-related injuries would improve the quality of life of Canadians. Second, such injury prevention strategies reduce the economic burden on the Canadian healthcare system. Third, Canadian companies would benefit for the developed technologies by commercializing them. Fourth, the proposed research programs create training opportunities for highly-qualified personnel and prepare them for their future career in academia or industry to overcome the technical challenges of tomorrow’s world.