Standardization proposal of soft tissue artefact description for data sharing in human motion measurements

Abstract

Soft tissue artefact (STA) represents one of the main obstacles for obtaining accurate and reliable skeletal kinematics from motion capture. Many studies have addressed this issue, yet there is no consensus on the best available bone pose estimator and the expected errors associated with relevant results. Furthermore, results obtained by different authors are difficult to compare due to the high variability and specificity of the phenomenon and the different metrics used to represent these data. Therefore, the aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to propose standards for description of STA; and secondly, to provide illustrative STA data samples for body segments in the upper and lower extremities and for a range of motor tasks specifically, level walking, stair ascent, sit-to-stand, hip- and knee-joint functional movements, cutting motion, running, hopping, arm elevation and functional upper-limb movements. The STA dataset includes motion of the skin markers measured in vivo and ex vivo using stereophotogrammetry as well as motion of the underlying bones measured using invasive or bio-imaging techniques (i.e., X-ray fluoroscopy or MRI). The data are accompanied by a detailed description of the methods used for their acquisition, with information given about their quality as well as characterization of the STA using the proposed standards. The availability of open-access and standard-format STA data will be useful for the evaluation and development of bone pose estimators thus contributing to the advancement of three-dimensional human movement analysis and its translation into the clinical practice and other applications.