Motion Capture Technologies for Ergonomics: A Systematic Literature Review

Muscular skeletal disorder is a difficult challenge faced by the working population. Motion capture (MoCap) is used for recording the movement of people for clinical, ergonomic and rehabilitation solutions. However, knowledge barriers about these MoCap systems have made them difficult to use for many people. Despite this, no state-of-the-art literature review on MoCap systems for human clinical, rehabilitation and ergonomic analysis has been conducted. A medical diagnosis using AI applies machine learning algorithms and motion capture technologies to analyze patient data, enhancing diagnostic accuracy, enabling early disease detection and facilitating personalized treatment plans. It revolutionizes healthcare by harnessing the power of data-driven insights for improved patient outcomes and efficient clinical decision-making. The current review aimed to investigate: (i) the most used MoCap systems for clinical use, ergonomics and rehabilitation, (ii) their application and (iii) the target population. We used preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines for the review. Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were used to search for relevant published articles. The articles obtained were scrutinized by reading the abstracts and titles to determine their inclusion eligibility. Accordingly, articles with insufficient or irrelevant information were excluded from the screening. The search included studies published between 2013 and 2023 (including additional criteria). A total of 40 articles were eligible for review. The selected articles were further categorized in terms of the types of MoCap used, their application and the domain of the experiments. This review will serve as a guide for researchers and organizational management

Markerless Motion Capture Integrated with Human Modeling for Virtual Ergonomics

This paper refers to the context of virtual ergonomics and specifically addresses a case study of the commercial refrigeration industry. The aim is to develop a computer-aided platform to analyse end-users’ postures and movements and ergonomically validate the design of device a man or woman may deal with. This paper describes the integrated use of human modeling and motion capture (Mocap) systems to perform ergonomic analysis relying exactly on real movements. Two optical Mocap systems, both low cost and markerless, have been considered: one based on six Sony Eye webcams and another one on two Microsoft Kinect sensors. Analogously, two human modeling tools have been adopted: Jack, specifically targeted for ergonomics and integrated with Microsoft Kinect, and LifeMod, a biomechanical simulation package. The proposed virtual ergonomics solutions have been experimented considering the case study of vertical refrigerator display units

An exploration of movement and handling by physiotherapists in a rehabilitation setting: a motion analysis study.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) affect between 56-80% of physiotherapists, with patient handling often reported as a risk factor. Physiotherapists use therapeutic handling to aid patient rehabilitation. Therapeutic handling involves the physiotherapist "guiding, facilitating, manipulating or providing resistance" to the patient. Therapeutic handling can subject physiotherapists to high loading forces during patient handling. The aims of this doctoral thesis were to quantify physiotherapists' movement during therapeutic patient handling tasks, assess risk of injury against a frequently used ergonomic tool, and investigate whether there may be a relationship between patient handling and WRMSD. This research employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design and a positivistic approach to explore and quantitatively measure physiotherapist movement. A portable three-dimensional motion analysis system, Xsens MTw Awinda, was used to measure physiotherapist movement during patient treatments in a neurological setting. The physiotherapists' movement and posture were quantified, described and assessed using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool. The incidence and personal impact of WRMSD were investigated with the extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) and potential patient tasks of risk were discussed. The physiotherapists used four main positions during patient handling tasks: 1) kneeling; 2) half-kneeling; 3) standing; and 4) sitting. Eight patient handling tasks were identified: 1) lie-to-sit; 2) sit-to-lie; 3) sit-to-stand; 4) upper limb; 5) lower limb; 6) trunk; 7) standing; and 8) walking facilitation. Kneeling or sitting positions were used by the physiotherapists most often during lie-to-sit, sit-to-lie, sit-to-stand, upper limb, trunk and standing facilitation tasks. Standing was the most common physiotherapist position during lower limb and walking tasks. Kneeling, half-kneeling and sitting positions demonstrated greater neck extension, which scored highly with the RULA and indicated potential risk of injury. Standing demonstrated more cervicothoracic flexion than kneeling and sitting, which demonstrated greater lumbosacral flexion than standing. The physiotherapists' hips and knees often maintained end-range flexion when kneeling or half-kneeling, which is discouraged in ergonomics literature. The low back was the most frequent anatomical area of WRMSD, with 60% of the physiotherapists having experienced discomfort there within their career. Physiotherapists were found to temporarily have changed jobs, sought professional help or taken medication for their shoulder, elbow or low back discomfort. However, none of the physiotherapists had taken sick leave in the last twelve months. This research found that tasks were more often performed in kneeling or sitting positions than in standing. Moving and handling guidance considers the handler in a standing position; guidance should therefore start to consider the handler in the variety of positions found in clinical practice. Ergonomic assessments, such as the RULA, consider the trunk as one joint. This research investigated three trunk joints, with different postures found at the cervicothoracic and lumbosacral junctions. Future research should appreciate how the position of the handler can impact trunk posture. More research needs to be conducted to qualitatively investigate physiotherapists' perceptions and experiences of patient handling. This research has provided a detailed exploration into therapeutic handling the neurological setting which can be used to guide future research