Cinematographic Techniques For Quantifying Human Athletic Performances

Various means have been devised for quantifying human athletic performances, but only cinematography leaves the human subject entirely free to perform the activity of interest. Photographic techniques have been used to quantify human motion since at least 1930, but it was not until the early 1970's that attempts were made to quantify such motions in three dimensions. Until recently no viable technique existed for quantifying human athletic performance in three dimensions. Early techniques placed tight constraints on camera placement and orientation and were never carefully validated. An attempt has been made to develop a "close-range cinephotogrammetry" for solving the three dimensional problem. The fundamentals of the analysis are outlined and the results of preliminary validations presented. A variety of problems specific to photo-analysis of the human body are discussed and some suggestions for further improvements are made.