Video motion analysis is a technique used to get information about moving objects from video. Examples of this include gait analysis, [1] sport replays, speed and acceleration calculations and, in the case of team or individual sports, task performance analysis. The motion analysis technique usually involves a high-speed camera and a computer that has software allowing frame-by-frame playback of the video.
Traditionally, video motion analysis has been used in scientific circles for calculation of speeds of projectiles, [2] or in sport for improving play of athletes. Recently, computer technology has allowed other applications of video motion analysis to surface, including things like teaching fundamental laws of physics to school students, or general educational projects in sport and science.
In sport, systems have been developed to provide a high level of task, performance and physiological data to coaches, teams and players. The objective is to improve individual and team performance and/or analyse opposition patterns of play to give tactical advantage. The repetitive and patterned nature of sports games lends itself to video analysis in that over a period of time real patterns, trends or habits can be discerned.
Police and forensic scientists analyse CCTV video when investigating criminal activity. Police use software, such as Kinesense, which performs video motion analysis to search for key events in video and find suspects. [3]
A digital video camera is mounted on a tripod. The moving object of interest is filmed doing a motion with a scale in clear view on the camera. Using video motion analysis software, the image on screen can be calibrated to the size of the scale enabling measurement of real world values. The software also takes note of the time between frames to give a movement versus time data set. This is useful in calculating gravity for instance from a dropping ball.
Sophisticated sport analysis systems such as those by Verusco Technologies in New Zealand use other methods such as direct feeds from satellite television to provide real-time analysis to coaches over the Internet and more detailed post game analysis after the game has ended.
There are many commercial packages that enable frame by frame or real-time video motion analysis. There are also free packages available that provide the necessary software functions. These free packages include the relatively old but still functional Physvis, and a relatively new program called PhysMo which runs on Macintosh and Windows. Upmygame is a free online application. VideoStrobe is free software that creates a strobographic image from a video; motion analysis can then be carried out with dynamic geometry software such as GeoGebra.
The objective for video motion analysis will determine the type of software used. Prozone and Amisco are expensive stadium-based camera installations focusing on player movement and patterns. Both of these provide a service to "tag" or "code" the video with the players' actions, and deliver the results after the match. In each of these services, the data is tagged according to the company's standards for defining actions.
Verusco Technologies are oriented more on task and performance and therefore can analyse games from any ground. Focus X2 and Sportscode systems rely on the team performing the analysis in house, allowing the results to be available immediately, and to the team's own coding standards.
MatchMatix takes the data output of video analysis software and analyses sequences of events. Live HTML reports are generated and shared across a LAN, giving updates to the manager on the touchline while the game is in progress.
Telecine is the process of transferring film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in this post-production process.
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use of high-speed cameras and then playing the footage produced by such cameras at a normal rate like 30 fps, or in post production through the use of software.
Tracking may refer to:
Motion capture is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robots. In filmmaking and video game development, it refers to recording actions of human actors and using that information to animate digital character models in 2D or 3D computer animation. When it includes face and fingers or captures subtle expressions, it is often referred to as performance capture. In many fields, motion capture is sometimes called motion tracking, but in filmmaking and games, motion tracking usually refers more to match moving.
Gait analysis is the systematic study of animal locomotion, more specifically the study of human motion, using the eye and the brain of observers, augmented by instrumentation for measuring body movements, body mechanics, and the activity of the muscles. Gait analysis is used to assess and treat individuals with conditions affecting their ability to walk. It is also commonly used in sports biomechanics to help athletes run more efficiently and to identify posture-related or movement-related problems in people with injuries.
In scientific visualization and computer graphics, volume rendering is a set of techniques used to display a 2D projection of a 3D discretely sampled data set, typically a 3D scalar field.
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film (CGI). Their main uses are in video games, in which case the simulations are in real-time. The term is sometimes used more generally to describe any software system for simulating physical phenomena, such as high-performance scientific simulation.
In visual effects, match moving is a technique that allows the insertion of computer graphics into live-action footage with correct position, scale, orientation, and motion relative to the photographed objects in the shot. The term is used loosely to describe several different methods of extracting camera motion information from a motion picture. Sometimes referred to as motion tracking or camera solving, match moving is related to rotoscoping and photogrammetry. Match moving is sometimes confused with motion capture, which records the motion of objects, often human actors, rather than the camera. Typically, motion capture requires special cameras and sensors and a controlled environment. Match moving is also distinct from motion control photography, which uses mechanical hardware to execute multiple identical camera moves. Match moving, by contrast, is typically a software-based technology, applied after the fact to normal footage recorded in uncontrolled environments with an ordinary camera.
Real-time computer graphics or real-time rendering is the sub-field of computer graphics focused on producing and analyzing images in real time. The term can refer to anything from rendering an application's graphical user interface (GUI) to real-time image analysis, but is most often used in reference to interactive 3D computer graphics, typically using a graphics processing unit (GPU). One example of this concept is a video game that rapidly renders changing 3D environments to produce an illusion of motion.
Video tracking is the process of locating a moving object over time using a camera. It has a variety of uses, some of which are: human-computer interaction, security and surveillance, video communication and compression, augmented reality, traffic control, medical imaging and video editing. Video tracking can be a time-consuming process due to the amount of data that is contained in video. Adding further to the complexity is the possible need to use object recognition techniques for tracking, a challenging problem in its own right.
Facial motion capture is the process of electronically converting the movements of a person's face into a digital database using cameras or laser scanners. This database may then be used to produce computer graphics (CG), computer animation for movies, games, or real-time avatars. Because the motion of CG characters is derived from the movements of real people, it results in a more realistic and nuanced computer character animation than if the animation were created manually.
Traffic collision reconstruction is the process of investigating, analyzing, and drawing conclusions about the causes and events during a vehicle collision. Reconstructionists conduct collision analysis and reconstruction to identify the cause of a collision and contributing factors including the role of the driver(s), vehicle(s), roadway and general environment. Physics and engineering principles are the basis for these analyses and may involved the use of software for calculations and simulations. Collision reconstruction is sometimes used as the basis of expert witness testimony at trials. Collision reconstructions are performed in cases involving fatalities or personal injury. Results from collision reconstructions are also sometimes used for making roads and highways safer, as well as improving safety aspects of motor vehicle designs. Reconstructions are typically conducted by forensic engineers, specialized units in law enforcement agencies, or private consultants.
Motion analysis is used in computer vision, image processing, high-speed photography and machine vision that studies methods and applications in which two or more consecutive images from an image sequences, e.g., produced by a video camera or high-speed camera, are processed to produce information based on the apparent motion in the images. In some applications, the camera is fixed relative to the scene and objects are moving around in the scene, in some applications the scene is more or less fixed and the camera is moving, and in some cases both the camera and the scene are moving.
Methods-Time Measurement (MTM) is a predetermined motion time system that is used primarily in industrial settings to analyze the methods used to perform any manual operation or task and, as a product of that analysis, set the standard time in which a worker should complete that task.
Equinalysis is a computer software program designed to capture and analyse equine locomotion by visually tracking and quantifying biomechanical data. The system was developed in 2004 by consultant farrier, Haydn Price with the intent of allowing veterinarians, farriers, horse trainers and physiotherapists to highlight subtle changes in a horse's locomotion and provide a video record of how a horse's movements change during the course of its working life. This then allows the user to improve the horse's performance with various techniques and treatment plans, such as appropriate shoeing regimes.
Indoor golf is an umbrella term for all activities in golf which can be carried out indoors. Venues include indoor driving ranges, chipping areas, putting greens, machines and home golf simulators. Many of these indoor facilities are businesses that include additional entertainment options as well as food and drink for customers.
Video content analysis or video content analytics (VCA), also known as video analysis or video analytics (VA), is the capability of automatically analyzing video to detect and determine temporal and spatial events.
X-ray motion analysis is a technique used to track the movement of objects using X-rays. This is done by placing the subject to be imaged in the center of the X-ray beam and recording the motion using an image intensifier and a high-speed camera, allowing for high quality videos sampled many times per second. Depending on the settings of the X-rays, this technique can visualize specific structures in an object, such as bones or cartilage. X-ray motion analysis can be used to perform gait analysis, analyze joint movement, or record the motion of bones obscured by soft tissue. The ability to measure skeletal motions is a key aspect to one's understanding of vertebrate biomechanics, energetics, and motor control.
The study of animal locomotion is a branch of biology that investigates and quantifies how animals move.