Methodological and technological implications of quantitative human movement analysis in long term space flights

In the frame of the 179-days EUROMIR `95 space mission, two in-flight experiments foresaw the analysis of three-dimensional human movements in microgravity. For this aim, a space qualified opto-electronic motion analyser based on passive markers was installed onboard the MIR Space Station. The paper describe's the experimental procedures designed in order to face technical and operational limitations imposed by the critical environment of the orbital module. The reliability of the performed analysis is discussed, focusing two related aspects: accuracy in three-dimensional marker localisation and data comparability among different experimental sessions. The effect of the critical experimental set-up and of TV cameras optical distortions is evaluated on in-flight acquired data, by performing an analysis on Euclidean distance conservation on rigid bodies. An optimisation method for the recovering of a unique reference frame throughout the whole mission is described. Results highlight the potentiality that optoelectronics and close-range photogrammetry have for automatic motion analysis onboard orbital modules. The discussion of the obtained results provides general suggestions for the implementation of experimental human movement analysis in critical environments, based on the suitable trade-off between external constraints and achievable analysis reliability. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.