Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units

The use of a universal goniometer or expensive laboratory kinematic analysis equipment has traditionally served as the gold standard to quantify human body joint angle or joint range of motion measurement. However, the measurement of these human body kinematic parameters is now possible using a tiny...

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Main Authors: Rahman, Md. Mahmudur, Gan, Kok Beng, Woon, You Huay, Abd Aziz, Noor Azah, Huong, Audrey, Sim, Kok Swee
Format: Article
Language:en
Published: 2025
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Online Access:http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/1/J19606_2b6d9f1252ef2908d6f1759eddb58f60.pdf
http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/
https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2025.3534800
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author Rahman, Md. Mahmudur
Gan, Kok Beng
Woon, You Huay
Abd Aziz, Noor Azah
Huong, Audrey
Sim, Kok Swee
author_facet Rahman, Md. Mahmudur
Gan, Kok Beng
Woon, You Huay
Abd Aziz, Noor Azah
Huong, Audrey
Sim, Kok Swee
author_sort Rahman, Md. Mahmudur
building UTHM Library
collection Institutional Repository
content_provider Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
content_source UTHM Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
description The use of a universal goniometer or expensive laboratory kinematic analysis equipment has traditionally served as the gold standard to quantify human body joint angle or joint range of motion measurement. However, the measurement of these human body kinematic parameters is now possible using a tiny, inexpensive, and portable wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU). The primary objective of this research is to assess the feasibility and accuracy of upper body kinematic measurement using multiple IMUs. The analysis in this study has considered the elbow and wrist joint angles, and the 12 healthy participants performed the assigned wrist (flexion/extension) and elbow (flexion/extension) movements with both hands. Three IMUs were used to measure the motion, and each joint angle was also measured with an electrogoniometer (EG). The data obtained from the IMUs were used to determine the joint angle, and the mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) were computed in comparison to the EG readings to evaluate the performance. An average RMSEs of 2.35◦ and 2.30◦ for elbow and wrist, respectively, were found for joint motion among the 12 subjects for all tasks. The maximum RMSE for both elbow and wrist joint angles was less than 5◦ , except for one measurement. A graphical user interface (GUI) was also designed and developed to help clinicians and therapists to assess patient progress, provide feedback, and motivate patients. The outcomes of our study revealed that the IMU system could be used to assess the upper extremity joint angles during functional motions.
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spelling my.uthm.eprints-127122025-06-25T23:53:12Z http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/ Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units Rahman, Md. Mahmudur Gan, Kok Beng Woon, You Huay Abd Aziz, Noor Azah Huong, Audrey Sim, Kok Swee QP Physiology The use of a universal goniometer or expensive laboratory kinematic analysis equipment has traditionally served as the gold standard to quantify human body joint angle or joint range of motion measurement. However, the measurement of these human body kinematic parameters is now possible using a tiny, inexpensive, and portable wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU). The primary objective of this research is to assess the feasibility and accuracy of upper body kinematic measurement using multiple IMUs. The analysis in this study has considered the elbow and wrist joint angles, and the 12 healthy participants performed the assigned wrist (flexion/extension) and elbow (flexion/extension) movements with both hands. Three IMUs were used to measure the motion, and each joint angle was also measured with an electrogoniometer (EG). The data obtained from the IMUs were used to determine the joint angle, and the mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) were computed in comparison to the EG readings to evaluate the performance. An average RMSEs of 2.35◦ and 2.30◦ for elbow and wrist, respectively, were found for joint motion among the 12 subjects for all tasks. The maximum RMSE for both elbow and wrist joint angles was less than 5◦ , except for one measurement. A graphical user interface (GUI) was also designed and developed to help clinicians and therapists to assess patient progress, provide feedback, and motivate patients. The outcomes of our study revealed that the IMU system could be used to assess the upper extremity joint angles during functional motions. 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/1/J19606_2b6d9f1252ef2908d6f1759eddb58f60.pdf Rahman, Md. Mahmudur and Gan, Kok Beng and Woon, You Huay and Abd Aziz, Noor Azah and Huong, Audrey and Sim, Kok Swee (2025) Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units. Ieee Sensors Journal,, 25 (6). pp. 9467-9477. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2025.3534800
spellingShingle QP Physiology
Rahman, Md. Mahmudur
Gan, Kok Beng
Woon, You Huay
Abd Aziz, Noor Azah
Huong, Audrey
Sim, Kok Swee
Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title_full Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title_fullStr Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title_short Assessment of Upper Body Kinematic Using Multiple Inertial Measurement Units
title_sort assessment of upper body kinematic using multiple inertial measurement units
topic QP Physiology
url http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/1/J19606_2b6d9f1252ef2908d6f1759eddb58f60.pdf
http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/12712/
https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2025.3534800
url_provider http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/