Evaluation of lower extremity gait analysis using Kinect V2^® tracking system.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Analysis
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Microsoft Kinect V2 is a depth-sensing peripheral device.
• It captures depth, posture, and skeleton data.
• Its utility for human gait analysis requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of the Microsoft Kinect V2 for human gait analysis.
• To compare Kinect V2 gait parameters with a marker-based motion capture system.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy volunteers performed 20 walking trials each.
• Gait was recorded simultaneously using Kinect V2 and an infrared marker-based system.
• Pearson's correlation and meta-analysis assessed reliability of gait velocity, cycle time, step length, joint angles, ground contact time, and ankle velocity.

Main Results:

• Strong reliability (r=0.92) was found for gait velocity and step length (r=0.81).
• Moderate reliability was observed for gait cycle time (r=0.65) and minimum hip flexion angle (r=0.68).
• Fair to poor reliability was noted for other parameters, with similar hip and knee angle trajectories between systems.

Conclusions:

• Microsoft Kinect V2 demonstrates strong reliability for key gait parameters like velocity, cycle time, and step length.
• It is a potentially valuable and accessible tool for gait analysis.
• Further research may refine its application for specific joint angle measurements.