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IMU-based joint axis identification method for arbitrary joints in OpenSim - a simulation study.
Iris Wechsler1, Julian Shanbhag2, Sandro Wartzack2
1Engineering Design, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Martensstrasse 9, 91058, Erlangen, Germany. wechsler@mfk.fau.de.
BMC Biomedical Engineering
|November 22, 2025
Summary
This study presents an analytical method to accurately identify joint axes in musculoskeletal simulations using OpenSim. The method reliably determines fixed and moving joint centers of rotation, even with noisy motion data.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Computational Modeling
- Musculoskeletal Simulation
Background:
- Individualized joint axes are crucial for accurate musculoskeletal simulations.
- Current methods may have limitations in determining joint centers of rotation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the accuracy and performance of an analytical method for identifying instantaneous axes of rotation in OpenSim.
- To assess the method's applicability to both fixed and moving joint centers.
Main Methods:
- Calculated instantaneous centers of rotation using relative linear and angular velocity data.
- Applied the method to a double pendulum model and hip/knee joints in a musculoskeletal model.
- Tested the method with both noise-free and noisy synthetic motion data.
Main Results:
- The analytical method accurately identified joint centers of rotation with noise-free data.
- Noisy data required filtering or optimization for accurate center of rotation determination.
- The approach successfully determined centers of rotation for arbitrary joints.
Conclusions:
- The developed analytical method enhances the accuracy of musculoskeletal simulations.
- This approach is versatile, applicable to fixed and moving joint centers of rotation.
- It offers an advancement over commonly used methods in biomechanical simulation.
Keywords:
Biomechanical modeling and simulationInstantaneous axis of rotationJoint axis identificationMeasurement noiseModel individualizationMore Related Videos
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