Evaluation of hand motion capture protocol using static computed tomography images: application to an instrumented glove.

There has been a marked increase in the use of hand motion capture protocols in the past 20 yr. However, their absolute accuracies and precisions remain unclear. The purpose of this technical brief was to present a method for evaluating the accuracy and precision of the joint angles determined by a hand motion capture protocol using simultaneously collected static computed tomography (CT) images. The method consists of: (i) recording seven functional postures using both the motion capture protocol and a CT scanner; (ii) obtaining principal axes of the bones in each method; (iii) calculating the flexion angle at each joint for each method as the roll angle of the composite, sequential, roll-pitch-yaw rotations relating the orientation of the distal bone to the proximal bone; and (iv) comparing corresponding joint angle measurements. For demonstration, we applied the method to a Cyberglove protocol. Accuracy and precision of the instrumented-glove protocol were calculated as the mean and standard deviation, respectively, of the differences between the angles determined from the Cyberglove output and the CT images across the seven postures. Implementation in one subject highlighted substantial errors, especially for the distal joints of the fingers. This technical note both clearly demonstrates the need for future work and introduces a solid, technical approach with the potential to improve the current state of such assessments in our field.