Evaluation of the ShapeTape for studying biomechanics in the workplace

Motion capture systems may be difficult to use in harsh environments such as a poultry plant, and therefore should be self-contained, portable, unobtrusive, and not interfere with or be degraded by plant machinery or processes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity, reliability and accuracy of the ShapeTape system as a potential solution. This was accomplished by comparing kinematic data from the ShapeTape against the Vicon system. Subjects performed cyclical movements along a plane angled 45° up from the horizontal using their right arms. Results revealed that the ShapeTape kinematic data was significantly larger than the Vicon data, yet statistically reliable.