College
College of Engineering
Mentor Information
Stephanie Carey
Description
A previous project at Cardiff University developed a low-cost, field-deployable inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for estimating knee-joint kinematics during rugby lineout lifts and landings. Validation against laboratory-based measurements demonstrated strong static accuracy, excellent temporal agreement, high repeatability, and adequate dynamic accuracy for the intended application, establishing a foundation for field-based biomechanical monitoring. To further evaluate the system, a summer internship at the University of South Florida investigated two proposed future-work objectives: comparison against optical motion capture (OMC) and evaluation of alternative sensor attachment methods to assess soft tissue artefact (STA). Initial testing involving dynamic vertical jump tasks compared IMU-derived knee kinematics with OMC measurements. Results demonstrated good-to-excellent temporal agreement and accuracy comparable to that observed during previous validation against a reference IMU system. These findings provide independent validation of the system's performance and support its continued development as a practical, low-cost tool for applied rugby biomechanics research and athlete monitoring.
Novel System for on-pitch Kinematic analysis of a Rugby Lineout
A previous project at Cardiff University developed a low-cost, field-deployable inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for estimating knee-joint kinematics during rugby lineout lifts and landings. Validation against laboratory-based measurements demonstrated strong static accuracy, excellent temporal agreement, high repeatability, and adequate dynamic accuracy for the intended application, establishing a foundation for field-based biomechanical monitoring. To further evaluate the system, a summer internship at the University of South Florida investigated two proposed future-work objectives: comparison against optical motion capture (OMC) and evaluation of alternative sensor attachment methods to assess soft tissue artefact (STA). Initial testing involving dynamic vertical jump tasks compared IMU-derived knee kinematics with OMC measurements. Results demonstrated good-to-excellent temporal agreement and accuracy comparable to that observed during previous validation against a reference IMU system. These findings provide independent validation of the system's performance and support its continued development as a practical, low-cost tool for applied rugby biomechanics research and athlete monitoring.
