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Kinematic Analysis Using 3D Motion Capture of Drinking Task in People With and Without Upper-extremity Impairments
Published on: March 28, 2018
Reliability of kinematic parameters during unilateral upper limb reaching tasks using a portable motion tracking
M B Warner1, A Novellino, M Stokes
1School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, UK. m.warner@southampton.ac.uk
Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology
|January 13, 2010
Summary
The Motor Task Manager (MTM) system shows excellent reliability for assessing speed in motor tasks. However, temporal and spatial measures have variable reliability, suggesting speed is the most robust metric for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Technology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Clinical assessment of motor dysfunction requires reliable tools.
- Portable computer-based systems offer potential for accessible motor assessment.
- The Motor Task Manager (MTM) is a system designed for evaluating motor control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of the Motor Task Manager (MTM) system for assessing motor dysfunction.
- To determine the intra- and inter-session reliability of speed, temporal, and spatial characteristics of MTM-prescribed tasks.
Main Methods:
- Nine healthy males (24-55 years) performed three unilateral MTM-reaching tasks.
- Tasks were completed three times in random order across three separate testing sessions.
- Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess reliability.
Main Results:
- Speed characteristics demonstrated excellent intra-session (ICC 0.78-0.92) and inter-session (ICC 0.86-0.92) reliability.
- Temporal parameters showed fair to good reliability, improving with subsequent sessions (ICC 0.64-0.96).
- Spatial characteristics exhibited poor intra- (ICC -0.09-0.63) and inter-session (ICC 0.15-0.61) reliability.
Conclusions:
- Speed characteristics of the MTM system are highly reliable for healthy individuals.
- Temporal and spatial measures show less consistent reliability, particularly for onset time and spatial data.
- MTM speed measures are recommended for performance assessment, especially when only one testing session is feasible.

