Motion Tracking with an Absolute Orientation Sensor
Motion tracking is desirable in many real-life applications such as gait analysis. However, it is difficult to accomplish using inertial measurement units due to their limitations in accuracy. The accuracy that can be achieved in tracking short interval motions using an inertial measurement unit was found. A system consisting of a “sensor block” was formed using an Arduino Pro Mini, an IMU such as the Adafruit BNO055, and a Bluetooth module. The data was received by using the Bluetooth capabilities of a laptop. It was found that for short, repetitive motions, the accuracy of the inertial measurement unit was sufficient to track real-world movements and give important data. Real world applications of the study allow for the testing of the inertial measurement unit system’s capabilities to accurately predict the movement and position of sports related objects, such as the movement of a golf club. In this way, the effect of more complex movements and motion can be observed to view the resilience of the system.