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PinPointer: An offline error measurement system for motor behavior research
Milton E T Marin1, Michael B F Cabrera1, Joshua R Samson1
1School of Engineering, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Behavior Research Methods
|August 10, 2026
Summary
PinPointer is a new, free software tool that helps motor behavior researchers quickly and accurately measure movement errors. This system improves the speed, accuracy, and reliability of data collection in research studies.
Area of Science:
- Motor behavior research
- Human movement analysis
- Biomechanical research
Background:
- Accurate measurement of radial error is essential for motor behavior research.
- Manual error measurement is time-consuming and prone to errors.
- A need exists for efficient and reliable error measurement tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce PinPointer, an automated system for measuring x-axis, y-axis, and radial error distances.
- To provide motor behavior researchers with a tool to enhance the speed, accuracy, and reliability of error measurements.
- To offer a free, open-source software solution for motor behavior data analysis.
Main Methods:
- Development of PinPointer, a Python-based error measurement system.
- Implementation of automated calculation of descriptive statistical measures for error types.
- Evaluation of PinPointer through inter-rater and intra-rater reliability studies.
- Validation of PinPointer's fidelity against real-world measurements.
Main Results:
- PinPointer enables quick and easy calculation of x-axis, y-axis, and radial error.
- The system demonstrated perfect absolute agreement and consistency across multiple raters.
- Near-perfect to perfect intra-rater agreement was observed.
- PinPointer showed perfect fidelity to real-world measurements.
- The software is available as a free, open-source executable for Windows and MacOS.
Conclusions:
- PinPointer significantly improves the efficiency and reliability of error measurement in motor behavior research.
- The software provides researchers with an accessible and accurate tool for data analysis.
- The open-source nature of PinPointer encourages widespread adoption and modification within the research community.
