Module Directory

This module will provide you with the underpinning theory and practical skills to enable you to collect rigorous biomechanical data in the lab. Biomechanics data collection is used across sporting contexts, e.g. improve performance by adjusting technique, clinical populations, e.g. gait re-training to reduce knee moments in knee osteoarthritis, and in research, e.g. determining the neuromechanics of moving on slopes. To apply our biomechanical knowledge, we need to be able to collect rigorous and clean biomechanical data to interpret. Here, you will learn how to use gold-standard biomechanical equipment (motion capture, force plates, and electromyography). You will formulate the procedures, set up the relevant software, carry out the data collection, and then process and analyse simple kinematic and kinetic signals within specific contexts. This module focuses on giving you skill proficiency in biomechanical data collection through to analysis. After this module, you will be able to set up your own biomechanical projects using motion capture, force plates, and electromyography equipment.

This module focuses on enabling you to become proficient in the use of motion capture systems, as well as post-processing biomechanical data, where you build your marker models in order to calculate joint dynamics. In addition to this, you will become familiar with historical marker set models and the development towards our simplified marker sets such as Plug-in-Gait and CAST. This module will have significant practical time, with only the underlying theoretical aspects covered in lectures. The first couple of weeks will have lecture content to setup the module, but beyond this you will spend the greater time in the lab using the biomechanical equipment in small groups to become familiar with it. Each week separate “practice” lab time will be allotted in small groups to enable you to practice what you have learnt that week.

The aims of this module are:

• To provide students with proficiency in biomechanical data acquisition and analysis skills.


• To engage students across the whole process of biomechanics, from project design, biomechanical software setup, collection of the data, nuances of different marker systems, to the analysis of the raw signals. Of particular focus in this module is motion capture, with a greater portion of time focussed on kinematic and kinetic data collection and analysis.


• To enable understanding of muscle activity data collection.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the differences between marker sets and locate landmarks on a participant to successfully prepare them for biomechanical assessment.


2. Support and generate the motion capture initiation process and explain the roles of each setup aspect, i.e. masking, calibration.


3. Comprehensively develop a workflow for a biomechanical investigation involving kinematic and kinetic data collection.


4. Implement data cleaning, processing, and analysis of motion capture to calculate inverse dynamics to obtain joint moments.


5. Confidently operate motion capture, force plates and electromyography for data collection and evaluate the data to interpret biomechanically relevant details.

Transferable Skills:

This module although embedded within biomechanics provides students with an array of data analysis skills that can be applied across differing disciplines. Biomechanics requires analysis of complex and large data sets. Students in this module will need to develop rapid learning skill sets across several software’s within the time frame of this module, preparing them for rapid skill development in the real world.

Syllabus information

The syllabus will cover areas across biomechanical data collection using motion capture and electromyography. Below is an indicative list of the topics to be covered.

Introduction to Biomechanics in practice

• Overview of the techniques and equipment used in a variety of biomechanics settings, including those not involved in the module.


• Brief recap on what biomechanical information we can collect and its value within sports and exercise contexts.

Introduction to motion capture

• Data collection considerations: where do errors come from and accumulate.


• Marker sets: historical and current contexts including benefits and cons.

Developing and running a workflow within motion capture software for data collection

• Switching on, masking, calibrating, define zero, setting up specific data collection protocols.


• Placing markers on a participant and static calibration.


• Data collection across differing activities.


• Cleaning and processing data for export as C3D files.

Calculation of joint angles, force,s and moments via inverse dynamics

Creation of a processing software workflow

• Development of a model.


• Evaluation of model onto kinematic and kinetic data.


• Creation of the protocol for analysing the data and calculating joint moments, angles etc…


• Extracting appropriate data from raw data collection.

Analysis of biomechanical data

• Identification of key biomechanical data.


• Determining how to assess the extracted data.

Introduction to Electromyography (EMG) and its integration into motion capture

• Overview of EMG, its uses, and how used within different biomechanics data sets.


• EMG setup, reasons, and potential issues.


• Integration into motion capture: how to integrate, setup, and running EMG.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour seminar
• Six 2-hour lectures
• Nine 2-hour teacher-led practical classes
• Eight 2-hour student-led practical classes

Students are expected to undertake reading before and after classes and be prepared to engage in discussion during lectures, seminars and practicals.