(ERIE, Pa.) The Erie Insurance Group has awarded a $50,000 grant to Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Erie, to help fund a new 10 camera, real-time motion capture system in the facility’s Movement Analysis Lab (MAL).
Most people are familiar with motion capture (or “mocap”) from modern movies and video games. In these applications, the reflections from small beads are tracked by high speed cameras. The resulting image is a 3-D cluster of points over which animators map a computerized character.
In the medical environment, the same process is used to analyze the movement patterns of children with cerebral palsy or other neuromuscular disorders. An anatomically-based computer model is fit to strategically placed reflectors on the child’s body. Measurements can then be taken of the child’s body positions and functional limitations. This technology has proven extremely useful for surgical decision making and monitoring of functional outcomes.
The new Motion Analysis Corporation Raptor-4 Digital Real-Time Motion Capture System will allow the Erie MAL to expand its capabilities. The new cameras have a higher resolution, allowing them to see smaller markers that are very close together, even at high speeds. This will be especially beneficial for complex modeling tasks, like that of the foot during running or jumping, where the interaction of multiple small bony segments were previously difficult to accurately determine.
The camera system software also has the ability to perform real-time biofeedback, where data is calculated and displayed while the subject is actually performing the movement. This may open new doors, particularly in rehabilitation. For example, a child who is instructed to perform a task in a certain way will now have a graph, animation, or sound to guide them, making it easier for them to accurately repeat the desired movement.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children® is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.