Platform with camera system for measurement of compensatory movements of small animals

Patrik Kutílek, David Škoda, Ján Hýbl, Rudolf Černý, Daniel Frynta, Eva Landová, Petra Frýdlová, Aniko Kurali, Radek Doskočil, Václav Křivánek

Platform with camera system for measurement of compensatory movements of small animals

Číslo: 5/2017
Periodikum: Acta Polytechnica
DOI: 10.14311/AP.2017.57.0321

Klíčová slova: rotational platform; animal; compensatory movement; head; camera; MoCap system, rotační platforma; zvíře; kompenzační pohyb; hlava; Fotoaparát; MoCap systém

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Anotace: The article introduces systems and methods of a controllable rotational platform used for measuring compensatory movement of small animals. The system, based on a camera subsystem, is located on a mechanical platform powered by a set of three actuators. The subsystems and methods allow to measure angles of the platform’s orientation in space and body segment angles in both anatomical and Earth’s coordinate systems. The methods of video processing, selection of measurement parameters and detection of anatomical angles are thoroughly described in this article. The study also deals with the software designed in MatLab®, which controls the platform, records and processes videos, and obtains angles for the movement analysis. The system was tested for measuring a head rotation of a small reptile/amphibian and monitored reflective markers on the creature’s body by the camera system. This method has never been described before. The new subsystems of the platform and methods for monitoring animal’s head compensatory movements can be used in studies of the neural system and its evolution.