Validity Verification of Human Pose-Tracking Algorithms for Gait Analysis Capability

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) clinical gait analysis systems are more affordable and portable than contemporary three-dimensional (3D) clinical models. Using the Vicon 3D motion capture system as the standard, we evaluated the internal statistics of the Imasen and open-source OpenPose gait measurement systems, both designed for 2D input, to validate their output based on the similarity of results and the legitimacy of their inner statistical processes. We measured time factors, distance factors, and joint angles of the hip and knee joints in the sagittal plane while varying speeds and gaits during level walking in three in-person walking experiments under normal, maximum-speed, and tandem scenarios. The intraclass correlation coefficients of the 2D models were greater than 0.769 for all gait parameters compared with those of Vicon, except for some knee joint angles. The relative agreement was excellent for the time–distance gait parameter and moderate-to-excellent for each gait motion contraction range, except for hip joint angles. The time–distance gait parameter was high for Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.899–0.993 but low for 0.298–0.971. Correlation coefficients were greater than 0.571 for time–distance gait parameters but lower for joint angle parameters, particularly hip joint angles. Our study elucidates areas in which to improve 2D models for their widespread clinical application.