OPTICAL MOTION CAPTURE AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM

StarTrace is a video-based high-performance, versatile motion capture and analysis system designed for use in medical research, sports medicine and other situations where precise measurements of the body and its movement through time are required. The capture and analysis of motion is fundamental in the field of biomechanics. StarTrace system measures human locomotion and therefore provides quantifiable data and results. Motion analysis describes the motion of bodies with kinematic parameters like distance-time graphs, velocities and accelerations.

Motion analysis system delivers accurate functional such as:

• Speed
• Acceleration
• Stride length
• Stride rate
• Phase trajectories
• Angle sincinethies

It is a great tool for comparing positions between two same motions of different humans, or to see if you are really achieve the changes in biomechanics.

StarTrace system is based on video sequences from standard DV or special high-speed cameras, which are recorded of the motion. These sequences are digitized and stored on the hard disk of the PC. Afterwards the evaluation is conducted by the help of image processing methods. Mostly there are also markers affixed and the motion of the markers is then processed by the evaluation software automatically or manually. When motion is tracked manually each marker must be evaluated from one frame to the next by a mouse-click. When tracking is made automatically, the user only selects the marker in the first 4 frames of the image sequence and then the software automatically detects all markers in the rest of the image sequence. The user watches the process on the PC monitor and can interfere interactively.

StarTrace system grew out of our many years of experience in the analysis of complex motion sequences. The motion analysis system is useful in objective documentation of walking ability as well as identifying the underlying causes for walking abnormalities in patients with cerebral palsy, stroke, head injury and other neuromuscular problems. The results of gait analysis have been shown to be useful in determining the best course of treatment in these patients.

StarTrace system can be used by sports coaches to measure and compare performance of athletes and by clinicians to perform gait analysis. Ergonomist can use it for postural and biomechanical analysis. Useful as a teaching tool to demonstrate the fundamentals of motion measurement without the need for expensive hardware. There are other motion analysis software products on the market these days but none of them give the price/performance of our motion analysis system.