A complementary filter design on SE(3) to identify micro-motions during 3D motion tracking

Abstract

In 3D motion capture, multiple methods have been developed in order to optimize thequality of the captured data. While certain technologies, such as inertial measurement units (IMU),are mostly suitable for 3D orientation estimation at relatively high frequencies, other technologies,such as marker-based motion capture, are more suitable for 3D position estimations at a lower frequencyrange. In this work, we introduce a complementary filter that complements 3D motion capture datawith high-frequency acceleration signals from an IMU. While the local optimization reduces the error ofthe motion tracking, the additional accelerations can help to detect micro-motions that are useful whendealing with high-frequency human motions or robotic applications. The combination of high-frequencyaccelerometers improves the accuracy of the data and helps to overcome limitations in motion capturewhen micro-motions are not traceable with 3D motion tracking system. In our experimental evaluation,we demonstrate the improvements of the motion capture results during translational, rotational,and combined movements.