Drift-Free Joint Angle Calculation Using Inertial Measurement Units Without Magnetometers: An Exploration of Sensor Fusion Methods for the Elbow and Wrist

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chen H ; Fethke NB ; Martin SM ; Schall MC Jr.
• Description:
  Joint angles of the lower extremities have been calculated using gyroscope and accelerometer measurements from inertial measurement units (IMUs) without sensor drift by leveraging kinematic constraints. However, it is unknown whether these methods are generalizable to the upper extremity due to differences in motion dynamics. Furthermore, the extent that post-processed sensor fusion algorithms can improve measurement accuracy relative to more commonly used Kalman filter-based methods remains unknown. This study calculated the elbow and wrist joint angles of 13 participants performing a simple ≥30 min material transfer task at three rates (slow, medium, fast) using IMUs and kinematic constraints. The best-performing sensor fusion algorithm produced total root mean square errors (i.e., encompassing all three motion planes) of 6.6 degrees, 3.6 degrees, and 2.0 degrees for the slow, medium, and fast transfer rates for the elbow and 2.2 degrees, 1.7 degrees, and 1.5 degrees for the wrist, respectively. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Inertial Measurement Units Biomechanical Modeling Biomechanical Motion Analysis Biomechanics Elbow Inertial Motion Capture Motion Studies Optimal Estimation Self-calibration Sensors Smoothers Upper Extremities Wearable Technologies Wrist

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• ISSN:
  1424-8220
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Iowa ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068312
• Citation:
  Sensors 2023 Aug; 23(16):7053
• Contact Point Address:
  Howard Chen, Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management Department, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
• Email:
  howard.chen@uah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Sensors
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5fb43107507c608e239c4addee682b44041d4d0a7bb71c8cb184b444eeaae9597d1cd8419a0ff6d5e910b224ab73395e18468b289521acbaed7a883709bb2c54
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230485/cdc_230485_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.90 MB ]