Simon Steven, Meining Jonna, Laurendi Laura, Berkefeld Thorsten, Dully Jonas, Dindorf Carlo, Fröhlich Michael
Department of Sports Science, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Apr 10;12(4):403. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering12040403.
The dental profession has a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders because daily working life is characterized by many monotonous and one-sided physical exertions. Inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based motion capture (MoCap) is increasingly utilized for assessing workplace postural risk. However, practical alternatives are needed because it is time-consuming and relatively cost intensive for ergonomists. This study compared two measurement technologies: IMU-based MoCap and a time-effective alternative, two-dimensional (2D) pose estimation. Forty-five dental assistant students (all female) were included (age: 19.56 ± 5.91 years; height: 165.00 ± 6.35 cm; weight: 63.41 ± 13.87 kg; BMI: 21.56 ± 4.63 kg/m). A 30 s IMU-based MoCap and image-based pose estimation in the sagittal and frontal planes were performed during a representative experimental task. Data were analyzed using Cohen's weighted kappa and Bland-Altman plots. There was a significant moderate agreement between the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) score from IMU-based MoCap and pose estimation (κ = 0.461, = 0.006), but no significant poor agreement ( > 0.05) regarding the body regions of the upper arm, lower arm, wrist, neck, and trunk. These findings indicate that IMU-based MoCap and pose estimation moderately align when assessing the overall RULA score but not for specific body parts. While pose estimation might be useful for quick general posture assessment, it may not be reliable for evaluating joint-level differences, especially in body areas such as the upper extremities. Future research should focus on refining video-based pose estimation for real-time postural risk assessment in the workplace.
由于日常工作生活具有许多单调且片面的体力消耗特点，牙科行业中肌肉骨骼疾病的患病率很高。基于惯性测量单元（IMU）的运动捕捉（MoCap）越来越多地用于评估工作场所的姿势风险。然而，由于对人体工程学专家来说耗时且成本相对较高，因此需要实用的替代方法。本研究比较了两种测量技术：基于IMU的MoCap和一种省时的替代方法，即二维（2D）姿势估计。纳入了45名牙科助理专业学生（均为女性）（年龄：19.56±5.91岁；身高：165.00±6.35厘米；体重：63.41±13.87千克；BMI：21.56±4.63千克/平方米）。在一项具有代表性的实验任务中，进行了30秒的基于IMU的MoCap以及矢状面和额状面的基于图像的姿势估计。使用科恩加权kappa和布兰德-奥特曼图对数据进行分析。基于IMU的MoCap得出的快速上肢评估（RULA）分数与姿势估计之间存在显著的中度一致性（κ = 0.461， = 0.006），但在上臂、前臂、手腕、颈部和躯干的身体部位方面，没有显著的差一致性（> 0.05）。这些发现表明，在评估总体RULA分数时，基于IMU的MoCap和姿势估计适度一致，但在特定身体部位则不然。虽然姿势估计可能有助于快速进行一般姿势评估，但在评估关节水平差异时可能不可靠，尤其是在上肢等身体部位。未来的研究应专注于改进基于视频的姿势估计，以用于工作场所的实时姿势风险评估。
