Comparison of Marker- and Markerless-Derived Lower Body Three-Dimensional Gait Kinematics in Typically Developing Children

Greaves, H, Eleuteri, A, Barton, GJ ORCID: 0000-0002-7214-1967, Robinson, MA ORCID: 0000-0002-5627-492X, Gibbon, KC and Foster, RJ ORCID: 0000-0003-2410-9839 (2025) Comparison of Marker- and Markerless-Derived Lower Body Three-Dimensional Gait Kinematics in Typically Developing Children. Sensors, 25 (14).

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Abstract

Background: Marker-based motion capture is the current gold standard for three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis. This is a highly technical analysis that is time-consuming, and marker application can trigger anxiety in children. One potential solution is to use markerless camera systems instead. The objective of this study was to compare 3D lower limb gait kinematics in children using both marker-based and markerless motion capture methods. Methods: Ten typically developing children (age 6–13 yrs) completed five barefoot walks at a self-selected speed. A 10-camera marker-based system (Oqus, Qualisys) and a 7-camera markerless system (Miqus, Qualisys) captured synchronised gait data at 85 Hz. Generalised Additive Mixed Models were fitted to the data to identify the random effects of measurement systems, age, and time across the gait cycle. The root-mean-square difference (RMSD) was used to compare the differences between systems. Results: Significant interactions and differences were observed between the marker-based and markerless systems for most joint angles and planes of motion, particularly with regard to time and age. Conclusions: Despite differences across all kinematic profiles, the RMSD in this study was comparable to previously published results. Alternative model definitions and kinematic crosstalk in both systems likely explain the differences. Age differences were not consistent across joint levels, suggesting a larger sample size is required to determine how maturation may affect markerless tracking. Further investigation is required to understand the deviations and differences between systems before implementing markerless technology in a clinical setting.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Lower Extremity; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Gait; Walking; Adolescent; Child; Female; Male; Biomechanical Phenomena; Gait Analysis; 40 Engineering; 46 Information and Computing Sciences; 4008 Electrical Engineering; 4009 Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware; 4606 Distributed Computing and Systems Software; Clinical Research; Pediatric Research Initiative; Humans; Child; Biomechanical Phenomena; Gait; Adolescent; Male; Female; Gait Analysis; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Walking; Lower Extremity; 0301 Analytical Chemistry; 0502 Environmental Science and Management; 0602 Ecology; 0805 Distributed Computing; 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Analytical Chemistry; 3103 Ecology; 4008 Electrical engineering; 4009 Electronics, sensors and digital hardware; 4104 Environmental management; 4606 Distributed computing and systems software
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19) Sport and Exercise Sciences
Date of acceptance:	7 July 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	12 August 2025
Date Deposited:	12 Aug 2025 14:42
Last Modified:	12 Aug 2025 14:45
DOI or ID number:	10.3390/s25144249
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26928

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