SBIR Phase I: A Multi-Media Data Structure for 3D Measurement of Human/Animal Motion

This Small-Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will explore the feasibility of developing a multi-media data structure to model and store geometric measurement and motion characteristics of a living, moving creature. The objective is to develop tools for storing and accessing data on moving animals from digital video streams in order to extract measurement data and allow the three-dimensional reconstruction of the subject as well as its position in time or as a function of action position (such as stride position), together with efficient algorithms to navigate the information tree within the stride space. Measurement by tape of any animal, including humans, is subject to sizable error. The proposed project seeks to examine the feasibility of a bold and ambitious undertaking which, if successful, would solve this and many kindred problems and open up an area of considerable research and development potential. Phase I research will focus on proving the feasibility of the idea of obtaining a set of measurement data from an animal (specifically, the horse) at a normal walking pace and adequate navigational tools to allow the user to sift through the 3D video streams to make the adjustments needed to obtain a fully tracked model. The current methods for the static study and measure of humans and animals is either the low-tech tape or the full-body laser or active-light scanner that requires a large booth. Even after obtaining the whole-body scan, as with the clothing industry, obtaining the desired measurements to use in applications is difficult because of a lack of convenient landmarks. Landmarks are made visible through motion. The goal is to make use of motion and its cyclical aspects to identify the landmarks and to recover, not just a single-position 'statue' of the subject, but its entire motion. In the U.S., there are around 10 million dairy cattle, of which about 34%, or 3.4, million are measured every year by tape or by little more than guessing. A capability to obtain measurements fast and accurately would have ready use in the dairy industry as well as in the thoroughbred industry.