Motion Capture System

Motion capturing systems are used to record industrial, human or animal motion. There are a number of ways this can be done. The system is optical based. Several cameras are used to compute the 3D position of a set of markers. Advanced calibration and tracking algorithms ensures high precision 3D-measurements enabling analysis of fine details in human motor control or high accuracy biomass estimation of fish.

All movements can be visualized real-time. The 3D positions are used in systems such as:

• physioterapists
• gaming industry
• surveillance
• simulators
• sports
• and more

We are currently focusing on the areas of welfare technology and aquaculture.

Welfare Technology

The term Welfare technology has its roots in the Nordic context. Similar terms such as Active Assistive Technology or Ambient Assisted Living are also frequently used. They all relate to the use of technological solutions to aid people in everyday tasks.

Our current research focus is on gait analysis. Gait is a movement that involves the whole body. Walking is a good example of gait.

Our software generate data to aid gait analysis. The data from motion capture systems can be utalized for:

• analyse and perfect athletes movements
• highlight biomechanical abnormalities. Having joints capable of providing sufficient movement and muscels capable of producing sufficient force is vital to generate an efficient gait cycle. If joints are stiff or muscels weak, the body must find ways of compensating for the problem, leading to biomechanical abnormalities.
• gait recognition: an emerging biometric technology which involves people being identified purely through the analysis of the way they walk

Aquaculture

Aquaculture and fish farming is key industry in Norway. There is a need for developing accurate, secure and sustainable methods for monitoring and measuring fish in cage farms. 

The motion capture data can be used for:

• biomass-estimation
• detection of salmon louse
• visual inspection of fish in a cage farm
• analysis of fish movements to determine when to stop feeding, or to detect at an early stage stressfull behaviour of the fish

The data can be used to validate other data, or as a real-time analysis.