Motion-capture company Animazoo and software specialist aXtion have teamed to offer doctors and physiotherapists a way to more accurately diagnose patients with injuries or posture problems. Patients can perform a series of simple exercises while strapped into a motion-capture system consisting of special high speed gyroscopic sensors that measures angles and tracks movements to provide powerful gait analysis.
‘This strategic link gives a whole new industry sector access to motion-capture technology which, due to the complexity of optical systems, was only available to University research teams,’ says Ali Kord, founder and chief technology officer at Animazoo. ‘The technology will be able to analyze angular velocity and magnitude of the patient’s motion, translating it into data and visual imagery that is simple to understand for the physiotherapist. It brings to life the analysis of injuries for medical teams, comparing the data with that of a healthy human body, indicating precisely the problem of the patient.’
AXtion worked with TNO, a knowledge and research organization, to independently test motion-capture systems before embarking on the project. The company then created the biomechanical software that generates diagnostic information based on the mo-cap data. TNO independently tested a number of mo-cap systems before selecting Animazoo’s IGS-190. Other solutions on the market were not ideal because they automatically add some interpretation or correction of the motion data and some require calibration methods which cannot be performed by the patients.
Based in Brighton, U.K., Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion-capture since the early ’90s. The company manufactures the award-winning Gypsy line of mo-cap systems, as well as the gyroscopic IGS-190. The company’s products are used for television broadcasts, live performance animation, video games and other non-entertainment applications including astronaut training.
