Extending the Applications of a Vicon Motion Capture System

Ross O’Hara*, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Field (Broad Category): Engineering (Physical Sciences & Engineering) 

Student’s Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering 

A Vicon motion capture system has been used to track rigid bodies during flight, both indoors and outdoors. Work is currently being done to extend the applications of such a system. The Vicon system is a collection of infrared cameras and software that is used for motion capture. It was purchased through a US Navy Contract to quickly and accurately tracking rigid bodies during flight. The system consists of 70 Vantage V5 cameras and the necessary software to operate the cameras, record data, and create 3D trajectories from the recorded data. The principle behind such a motion captures system is relatively straight-forward. The cameras emit infrared light, which is reflected by markers covered in a highly retro-reflective material. The use of infrared light allows all other light spectrums to appear as black to the camera, which aids in the contrast between the markers and the background. As long as at least three cameras can view a marker, the software can triangulate the 3D position of that particular marker. This method is used heavily in human kinematics and sports science. In addition to tracking individual markers, the system also has the capability to identify and track a pre-defined rigid object, which is a group of three or more markers. The system can provide real-time position and orientation information. The ease of use of the system and accuracy has shown promise of its use in additional applications. This work is currently investigating such applications as aerodynamic flow-visualization and quantitative string tuft analysis. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course