VICON TECHNOLOGY USED FOR ERGONOMIC MOTION CAPTURE OF BRICKLAYING MASONS

 

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) common among construction trade workers, with a cost to the economy estimated in the billions of dollars

 

Denver, CO (6 February 2009)—Vicon, developer of award-winning motion capture systems, played a critical role in what is believed to be the first application of video motion capture for in-the-field physical assessments of bricklaying masons. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common among construction trade workers, with a cost to the economy estimated in the billions of dollars in lost wages, medical expenses, and insurance administration costs. Bricklayers have particularly high rates of injury with about 75% reporting low back symptoms and over half with shoulder symptoms.

Dr. Ryan Mizner and Dr. Dan Anton at Eastern Washington University and Dr. Jennifer Hess and Dr. Laurel Kincl at the University of Oregon are collaborating on a series of investigations to evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomic controls to reduce MSDs among masonry workers. Eastern Washington University’s Department of Physical Therapy maintains a biomechanics lab equipped with a Vicon eight camera MCam2 system. 

Most studies of ergonomics and physical exposure in the construction trade industry use rudimentary estimates of motion, like a camcorder or visual observation coupled with a tape measure. More sophisticated tools like electrogoniometers are also used, but they can be bulky and restrict postures of the trunk and shoulder that are part of a mason’s normal work day. “Video motion capture systems also have been used in ergonomic studies,“ states Dr. Mizner, MPT, PhD, Assistant Professor at Eastern Washington University’s Department of Physical Therapy. “But these studies are typically restricted to laboratory simulations of work environments, often with volunteers instead of the craftsmen that actually ply their trade.”

While laboratory experiments add the benefit of better precision with measurement of body posture and movement, there is a trade off in lack of real work conditions. The current project represents what is believed to be the first application of video motion capture for in the field assessments of physical exposure in bricklaying masons. “Our Vicon system offered us a unique opportunity to perform motion capture in the field,“ reported Dr. Mizner. “It was remarkably easy to take our eight camera Vicon system outside the lab. We simply created containers to transport the cameras and drove the four and a half hours to the research site.” At some masonry worksites, heavier concrete blocks are handled by two-person lift teams, instead of by a single mason. The extent to which this promising ergonomic control reduces physical risk factors was the first intervention to be investigated with the research project. 

The academic research investigators collaborated with an apprenticeship training center in Seattle—the International Masonry Institute (IMI). This partnership provided an ideal location with sufficient flexibility and expertise for fieldwork using motion capture. Most of the Vicon cameras used at the IMIfacility were custom-mounted on the rafters to avoid the risk of using tripods that could be bumped or damaged. Masons wore elastic shirts and baseball pants during data collections to prevent loose clothing from blocking markers, but still allow for some protection from material handling. 

The study is still ongoing, but early findings suggest that the two-mason lift teams were most effective when concrete blocks were handled at waist height. Preliminary results were presented this spring at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), at which Vicon’s Life Sciences Division participated as an exhibitor.

In addition to the current masons ergonomic study, the research team is currently utilizing Vicon motion capture equipment to study alternatives to lifting block over rebar, which is used to reinforce buildings in seismic zones and areas at risk for natural disasters or terrorist threats. The projects are funded by a grants awarded to Eastern Washington University from the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH).   

About Vicon
Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems, serving customers in film, visual effects, computer games, and broadcast television, as well as engineering and life science industries.  Vicon operates in four offices worldwide, including its Los Angeles-based Entertainment headquarters, a 26,000 square-foot facility equipped with two performance capture stages for Vicon’s service company House of Moves as well as more than 300 Vicon motion capture cameras.
 
Vicon is the largest holding of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group - LSE: OMG), plc., a group of technology companies that produces image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defense, life science and engineering markets.  Other holdings include Emmy Award®-winning 2d3 and newly founded Geospatial Vision Ltd.
 
Vicon’s and OMG’s global clients include: life science leaders University of Pennsylvania, the VA Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Titleist Golf, The Andrews Institute; engineering industry leaders Ford, BMW, Airbus, Lockheed, Pratt-Whitney, NASA, Caterpillar, International Truck, and Toyota; and entertainment companies Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Computer Entertainment, Industrial Light and Magic, Sega, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Vivendi, Electronic Arts, Square Enix and many others.  For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit www.omg3d.com, www.vicon.com, or www.2d3.com.

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