Efficacy of Inertial Measurement Units in the Evaluation of Trunk and Hand Kinematics in Baseball Hitting

Sensors

NiroshanG. Punchihewa¹  Go Yamako²  Shigeaki Miyazaki³  Etsuo Chosa³ 

[1] Department of Materials and Informatics, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Agriculture and Engineering, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan;Department of Mechanical Design Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan;Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan;

关键词: baseball batting;    inertial sensors;    trunk kinematics;    motion analysis;    reliability;    accuracy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s20247331

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Baseball hitting is a highly dynamic activity, and advanced methods are required to accurately obtain biomechanical data. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) can capture the motion of body segments at high sampling rates both indoor and outdoor. The bat rotates around the longitudinal axis of the body; thus, trunk motion plays a key role in baseball hitting. Segmental coordination is important in transferring power to a moving ball and, therefore, useful in evaluating swing kinematics. The current study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of IMUs with a sampling rate of 1000 Hz attached on the pelvis, thorax, and hand in assessing trunk and hand motion during baseball hitting. Results obtained using the IMU and optical motion capture system (OMCS) were compared. Angular displacements of the trunk segments and spine joint had a root mean square error of <5°. The mean absolute error of the angular velocities was ≤5%. The intra-class correlation coefficient (>0.950) had excellent reliability for trunk kinematics along the longitudinal-axis. Hand velocities at peak and impact corresponded to the values determined using the OMCS. In conclusion, IMUs with high sampling rates are effective in evaluating trunk and hand movement coordination during hitting motion.

【 授权许可】

Unknown