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“ PV-WAVE’s animation features allow us to see much more than if we
were just watching the actual human move. The observer can look at
the movement from all angles, speed up, slow down, zoom in, zoom
out and also gather quantitative measurements.”
-Dr. Christopher McGibbon, Professor and Research Chair in
Rehabilitation Biomechanics, University of New Brunswick
QUICK
FACTS
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Biomechanics expert needed visualization tool for viewing humans with musculoskeletal
disorders, such as osteoarthritis
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Used PV-WAVE’s 3-D graphics and animation to view human movement from multiple angles
to more accurately quantify motor dysfunction.
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Custom GUIs and easy programming language combined with powerful visuals contributed to
getting research published
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THE PROBLEM
Dr. Chris A. McGibbon wants to help healthcare workers better manage musculoskeletal disorders
such as osteoarthritis in humans. He is the Professor and Research Chair in Rehabilitation
Biomechanics at the University of New Brunswick. By studying the biomechanics of human
movement, Dr. McGibbon hopes to provide a valuable tool that others can use to better diagnose
and manage human movement disorders.
To understand the biomechanics of human movement, McGibbon and his team have developed an
innovative method for creating computerized models of human patients and then using the model
to simulate movement. This method opens up a world of information on the patient’s condition.
To create the model, scientists first attach sensors to the body. The sensors are tracked by
cameras, which determine the 3-dimensional coordinates of various points on the human body.
To complete the process, McGibbon needed a sophisticated visualization and analysis tool for
translating the sensor data into skeletal motion.
In selecting the right analysis tool, McGibbon reached back to his days
at the Massachusetts General Hospital Biomotion Laboratory where he was
Assistant Director as well as a Lecturer at Harvard Medical School. The
Biomotion Laboratory was where McGibbon first used PV-WAVE. More information
on the Biomotion Laboratory can be found at
www.massgeneral.org/biomotion.
THE SOLUTION
PV-WAVE takes the data gathered from the sensors and creates a 3-D
visual of the human body. Scientists can then animate the model
of the body doing everyday activities like walking, lifting, or
rising from a chair.
“The animation allows us to see much more than if we were just
watching the actual human move. The observer can look at the movement
from all angles, speed up, slow down, zoom in, zoom out and also
gather quantitative measurements.” In this way, scientists can
zoom in on potential problem areas for further examination. Quantitative
measurements further help to more accurately diagnose the disease.
McGibbon also uses PV-WAVE’s image analysis tools to quantify data from MRI scans to
better diagnose joint disorders, such as osteoarthritis.
McGibbon gives PV-WAVE points for its ease of use and strong ability to
communicate graphically with the user. “The easy programming language,
quality of graphics and ability to create custom GUIs have been
of tremendous benefit.”
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
McGibbon’s application is currently a research tool, but he hopes that healthcare workers will
be able to use the tool in the future to better diagnose and manage patients with movement
disorders. But for now, McGibbon believes PV-WAVE’s graphics made a positive contribution to
getting his research published and better understood by the academic community.
WORLD CLASS PRODUCTS, SERVICES,
AND SUPPORT
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University of New Brunswick
Industry
Education
Application
Biomechanics of
Musculoskeletal
Disorders
Product
PV-WAVE
The Faculty of Kinesiology at The
University of New Brunswick offers
a continuum of curricular and
co-curricular programs that are
focused on human movement in
sport, recreation & leisure, exercise
and physical education. The
Faculty's mission is to champion
lifelong physically active lifestyles.
Key Benefits
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Faster time to results |
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Efficiently processes large amounts of data |
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Identifies anomalies in the data
for more accurate analysis |
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Easy to use interface speeds
analysis |
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