Joint Inertial Sensor Orientation Drift Reduction for Highly Dynamic Movements

Inertial sensor drift is usually corrected on a single-sensor unit level. When multiple sensor units are used, mutual information from different units can be exploited for drift correction. This study introduces a method for a drift-reduced estimation of three dimensional (3-D) segment orientations and joint angles for motion capture of highly dynamic movements as present in many sports. 3-D acceleration measured on two adjacent segments is mapped to the connecting joint. Drift is estimated and reduced based on the mapped accelerations' vector orientation differences in the global frame. Algorithm validity is assessed on the example of alpine ski racing. Shank, thigh, and trunk inclination as well as knee and hip flexion were compared to a multicamera-based reference system. For specific leg angles and trunk segment inclination mean accuracy and precision were below 3.9° and 6.0°, respectively. The errors were similar to errors reported in other studies for lower dynamic movements. Drift increased axis misalignment and mainly affected joint and segment angles of highly flexed joints such as the knee or hip during a ski turn.