Since its inception in 2021, Logemas has been an industry partner to the Brisbane-based Joint Biomechanics Training Centre. This major research centre is a collaborative project between QUT, UNSW and UQ. The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics is funded by the Australian Government and industry partners through the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre Program.
This is a summary of some of the research from the centre featuring technology we have supplied and trained the team on.
How is Logemas Tech Used in Research?
Validation – when a new or repurposed technology is being tested for a specific application, the best practice is to test it against the best current method. For measuring dynamic positions in 3D space, including human movement, that technology is still marker-based motion capture. Using marker-based motion capture systems provides an established “ground truth” position and orientation measurements, against which new method’s measurements can be tested.
Recording ‘Real’ Motion Data to Drive Digital Models – a digital model of a human can contain structures that exist beneath the skin – bone, soft and connective tissue. It is difficult to measure these tissues directly during movement, so we can create digital, participant-specific, anatomically accurate versions of these systems to simulate what happens. All you need to do is make the models move to observe the digital tissue behaviour! You could do this ‘by hand’, manually manipulating each degree of freedom at every joint for every data frame Or, you could record actual movement via marker-based motion capture, and use this to drive the entire model!
Sync/Trigger – the Vicon Lock device and Nexus software provide powerful data synchronisation options, capable of operating across different technologies You don’t even need to record marker data to make the most of these features! The Vicon Lock allows up to eight unique synchronisation signals to be distributed, or wire a sync/trigger signal from a 3rd party device into one of the 64 analog channel inputs and use that to start/stop Vicon data capture. Nexus software directly supports various 3rd party hardware integrations via digital plugins (USB), from force plates and EMG to IMUs and eye-tracking vectors.
User Testimonials
But don’t take our word for it! We asked Professor Graham Kerr and Doctor Maxence Lavaill, both of QUT, some questions about working with Logemas:
Has Logemas partnering with the JB ITTC been useful for your research projects?
GK: Extremely useful. Logemas has provided excellent support for all facets of motion capture including Vicon, IMUs, EMG (Cometa) , force plates and markerless video systems. The close synergy with Logemas has ensured efficient data capture and processing across several projects.
ML: Yes, it definitely was critical! Without support from Logemas, I could not have done my PhD. Half of my PhD studies was based on experimental measurements undertaken in the motion capture lab. Logemas trained me from the start of my research and supported me throughout by replying to my numerous questions and emails. The collaboration between Logemas and JB ITTC allowed me
How has technology provided by Logemas been used in your research projects?
GK:
- Vicon has been used to provide detailed motion capture of the shoulder and upper limb for use in modelling projects using OpenSim.
- Integration of Vicon with IMUs for shoulder and upper limb movements has provided essential groundtruthing for development of IMU based clinical measurement systems.
- Vicon, IMUs and EMG are being used to develop a large database of upper limb / shoulder movements to provide a normative reference for future clinical work.
- Vicon has provided gold-standard comparisons for validating phone based 2D pose clinical measurement systems.
- Vicon and EMG is being used for pre and post surgery assessment of reverse shoulder arthroplasty patients.
- Vicon and force plates are being used for a collaborative project with University of Malaga (Spain) to develop novel measures of shoulder stability.
ML: During my research projects, especially during my PhD studies, I was using the optical motion capture lab at Kelvin Grove (Q block) to record motion data of shoulder kinematics in healthy individuals. The goal was to build a database of basic, clinical and daily-life shoulder motions to drive innovative MRI-based shoulder musculoskeletal models. In addition to motion data, surface EMG signals (Cometa system) were recorded to drive but also validate our models.
More recently, some of our research utilised Vicon motion capture technologies to record ground-truth position and motion in a human cadaveric experiment for comparison against ultrasound bony measurements.
We could also get industry funding and collaboration opportunities thanks to Logemas technologies in our hands, e.g., we validated a shoulder pose tracking algorithm from Zimmer Biomet against Vicon 3D motion capture. This technology is essential for attracting novel research outcomes.
Will you continue to use Logemas technology beyond JB ITTC projects?
GK: Absolutely.
ML: The skills learned in the past years using Logemas technologies are a big part of professional skills and are highly sellable on the research/employment market, especially in biomechanics. It is planned that I will continue using Logemas technology beyond JB ITTC. We have started putting together a portable motion capture system for biomechanical/cadaveric experiments, assessing patients’ outcomes, as well as for teaching undergraduate students.
Any other comments?
ML: Always a pleasure to come to the “Logemas church” for local biomechanics conferences and meet the community there. It is now a hub for biomechanics in QLD!
Professor Graham Kerr
Doctor Maxence Lavaill
Research
At its inception, the centre was divided into four broad research topics. Logemas technology was used in two, program one and program four. The other two topics were:
- Program 2: Robot Assisted Testing and Surgery (led by A/Prof Saulo Martelli), and
- Program 3: Optimised Tissue-Engineered Scaffolds (led by Prof Justin Cooper-White)
Program 1: In-Silico Upper Extremity Modelling and Simulation
Program Co-Leads: Prof Lynne Bilston, Prof Peter Pivonka; Program 1 Home Page
- Maxence Lavaill’s PhD project “Assessment of musculoskeletal modelling procedures in healthy shoulders towards use for clinical applications“ (completed early 2023) on shoulder musculoskeletal modelling using personalised shoulder kinematics and EMG data
3 publications came from this Phd:
- Lavaill, M., Martelli, S., Gilliland, L., Gupta, A., Kerr, G., & Pivonka, P. (2022). The effects of anatomical errors on shoulder kinematics computed using multi-body models. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 21(5), 1561–1572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-022-01606-0
- Lavaill, M., Martelli, S., Kerr, G. K., & Pivonka, P. (2022). Statistical Quantification of the Effects of Marker Misplacement and Soft-Tissue Artifact on Shoulder Kinematics and Kinetics. Life, 12(6), 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/life12060819
- Lavaill, M., Martelli, S., Cutbush, K., Gupta, A., Kerr, G. K., & Pivonka, P. (2023). Latarjet’s muscular alterations increase glenohumeral joint stability : A theoretical study. Journal of Biomechanics, 155(May), 111639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111639
- Ultrasound precision tracking (seed grant project), CI: Dr Dermot O’Rourke Team: Dr Maxence Lavaill, Mr Ahmed Sewify, Prof Glen Litchwark, Prof Davide Fontanarosa, A/Prof Saulo Martelli
Centre Program 4: In-Vivo Assessment of Upper Limb Movements, Physiology and Rehabilitation
Program Lead: Prof Graham Kerr; Program 4 Home Page
- van den Hoorn W, Lavaill M, Cutbush K, Gupta A, Kerr G. Comparison of Shoulder Range of Motion Quantified with Mobile Phone Video-Based Skeletal Tracking and 3D Motion Capture—Preliminary Study. Sensors. 2024; 24(2):534. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24020534
- Arthur Fabre’s PhD entitled ‘A Wearable Magneto-Inertial Measurement Units-Based System for the Upper Limb and Shoulder Kinematics Assessment’, specifically his research tasks on:
- developing and validating IMUs.
- creating a database of IMU / Vicon 3D / Shoulder muscle EMG for upper limb movement.
- Other centre personnel involved as supervisors: Dr Wolbert van den Hoorn, Prof Peter Pivonka, Prof Glen Litchwark, Mr Eric Su, and Prof Graham Kerr.
- Commenced 2023 – current (~2.5 years remaining)
- Giacomo Nardese’s PhD entitled ‘Neurophysiological adaptations to shoulder injuries: cortical function of shoulder muscles and motor control implications’ work on brain muscle interactions during upper limb movements.’
- Other centre personnel involved as supervisors: Prof Paul Hodges, Dr Wolbert van den Hoorn, and Prof Graham Kerr.
- Commenced 2023 – current (~2.5 years remaining)
- Eric Su (postdoc’s) work on understanding the role of shoulder muscle afferents in controlling upper limb movements.
- Collaborating with Prof Glen Litchwark and Prof Graham Kerr.
- PD appointment for 2 years.
- Zimmer Mymobility project, CI: Dr Wolbert van den Hoorn
- Team: Maxence Lavaill (Program 1), Adj. Prof Dr Ashish Gupta, Prof Graham Kerr
- Laura Ramírez Pérez’s (University of Malaga, Spain) PhD entitled ‘Effectiveness of a multicomponent therapeutic exercise program to improve multivariable fatigue in unstable shoulder patients (MoveUs).
- Anna Moyle’s Masters Degree: ‘Shoulder kinematics and muscle function pre and post- reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a 3D motion capture and electromyographic study to guide clinical practice.’
- Amy Ma’s PhD (collaboration with Paul Hodges,UQ), entitled ‘Understanding the central mechanisms involved in the corticomotor control of the shoulder.’
More Information
If you’d like to know more about how Logemas can enable your research projects, or about any of our products, contact us via email at hello@logemas.com or drop us a DM on LinkedIn, Instagram, X or facebook.
Centre Website: https://jointbiomechanics.org/
- Centre LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcittc/
- Research Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/quasr-qut/
Special Thanks
- Centre Manager Rosa Armitage, and her predecessor Maddie McIntyre, for facilitating the industry partnerships.
- Professor Graham Kerr and Doctor Maxence Lavaill for contributing responses to this article. Check out their online profiles to see everything they’re up to:
- Prof. Graham Kerr: QUT Profile | LinkedIn | ORCiD
- Dr Maxence Lavaill: QUT Profile | LinkedIn | ORCiD
- The rest of the Joint Biomech team who we were involved with in some way or another!
- Dr Wolbert van den Hoorn, Prof Peter Pivonka, Prof Glen Litchwark, Mr Eric Su, Arthur Fabre, Giacomo Nardese, Prof Paul Hodges, Mr Ahmed Sewify, Prof Glen Litchwark, Prof Davide Fontanarosa, A/Prof Saulo Martelli, Dr Dermot O’Rourke
