Analysis of two methods indicating the shoulder joint angles using three dimensional data

Abstract

The article contains a comparative analysis of two methods of calculating angles in the shoulder joint of the right upper limb. For the purposes of this study, a marker-vector method was developed that calculates angles based on retroreflective 3D marker’s positions and vectors created on the basis of their positions. Movements from two types of sports (sword fighting and tennis forehand) were analysed. These movements were recorded using an optical motion capture system. The obtained results were compared with the values read from the Plug-in Gait biomechanical model from C3D files. The results show that the proposed method is more universal and can be used independently. In addition, the Plug-in Gait model is not adequate for the analysis of the acquired shoulder angles of tennis players.

Keywords

• motion capture
• c3d file
• angle calculation methods
• plug-in gait biomechanical model