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. 2024 Nov 5;24(22):7105.
doi: 10.3390/s24227105.

Validation of a 3D Markerless Motion Capture Tool Using Multiple Pose and Depth Estimations for Quantitative Gait Analysis

Mathis D'Haene  1 , Frédéric Chorin  2   3 , Serge S Colson  2   3 , Olivier Guérin  2   4 , Raphaël Zory  2   3   5 , Elodie Piche  2   3
Affiliations

Validation of a 3D Markerless Motion Capture Tool Using Multiple Pose and Depth Estimations for Quantitative Gait Analysis

Mathis D'Haene et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Gait analysis is essential for evaluating walking patterns and identifying functional limitations. Traditional marker-based motion capture tools are costly, time-consuming, and require skilled operators. This study evaluated a 3D Marker-less Motion Capture (3D MMC) system using pose and depth estimations with the gold-standard Motion Capture (MOCAP) system for measuring hip and knee joint angles during gait at three speeds (0.7, 1.0, 1.3 m/s). Fifteen healthy participants performed gait tasks which were captured by both systems. The 3D MMC system demonstrated good accuracy (LCC > 0.96) and excellent inter-session reliability (RMSE < 3°). However, moderate-to-high accuracy with constant biases was observed during specific gait events, due to differences in sample rates and kinematic methods. Limitations include the use of only healthy participants and limited key points in the pose estimation model. The 3D MMC system shows potential as a reliable tool for gait analysis, offering enhanced usability for clinical and research applications.

Keywords: 3D markerless motion capture; depth estimation; pose estimation; quantitative gait analysis; stereoscopic cameras.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 3
Figure 3
Hip and knee flexion/extension angle waveforms at 1.0 m/s. The average gait cycle waveforms with standard deviation of the 15 participants for 3D MMC (blue) and MOCAP (red) are represented. The associated RMSE and LCC values are indicated. (a) Without offset removed; (b) offset removed.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hip and knee flexion/extension angle waveforms at 1.0 m/s. The average gait cycle waveforms with standard deviation of the 15 participants for 3D MMC (blue) and MOCAP (red) are represented. The associated RMSE and LCC values are indicated. (a) Without offset removed; (b) offset removed.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Bland–Altman plots for hip and knee flexion/extension ROM at 1.0 m/s, offset removed. The mean differences are represented (red) along with the 95% limit of agreement (green).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Rizzoli body markerset for OptiTrack (32 Markers).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hip and knee flexion/extension angles waveforms of the 3D Markerless Motion Capture (3D MMC) system at 1.0 m/s. The average gait cycle waveforms with standard deviation of the 15 participants for gait session 1 (blue) and gait session 2 (red) are represented. The associated RMSE values are indicated.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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