Bath University Uses Markerless Markerless Motion Capture to Study Skeleton Biomechanics on Outdoor Skeleton Track

Summary

This video showcases University of Bath researchers who are mapping the movements of skeleton athletes with a markerless motion capture system. They train on the UK’s only outdoor track dedicated to the early push start, capturing data without markers or bodysuits to study how every fraction of a second influences performance. The work combines biomechanics, motion analysis, and testing in a real-world setting, revealing asymmetries in the athlete’s running and how data collection can be made less intrusive. The research is already informing elite sport and has potential healthcare applications, including clinical gait analysis and rehabilitation, as researchers aim to take their data from the track into clinics and wider contexts.

Introduction

The video documents a biomechanical research program at the University of Bath that focuses on how athletes move, specifically skeleton athletes racing on an outdoor track. The track is described as the UK’s only outdoor facility dedicated to the push start, a critical early phase that can influence speeds up to about 130 kilometres per hour. The project aims to map the skeleton’s movement using a markerless system, emphasizing data collection that does not require wearable markers or bodysuits.

The Track and the Challenge

Bath researchers, alongside the UK bobsleigh and skeleton team, study movement in a real course rather than a lab. The outdoor track operates in a setting where nothing in the data collection process should disrupt training. The team notes that every fraction of a push start matters because small gains can translate into substantial differences by the bottom of the run. The track thus serves both as a training ground and a testing site for innovative motion analysis technology.

Markerless Motion Capture System

The core technology is a multi-camera arrangement designed to capture the entire athlete and sled in the frame. The system reconstructs a three‑dimensional model of landmarks on the body without markers, enabling measurement of joint angles, joint positioning, movement velocity, and step metrics such as length and frequency. This markerless approach is described as more realistic and less invasive for athletes during training sessions.

Athlete and Team Perspectives

Mike Muckelt, a biomechanics PhD student, and Bath researchers describe how markerless data can be integrated with high‑level athletic preparation. Athletes report that removing markers reduces disruption to their routine, enabling more authentic practice sessions. The data helps characterize asymmetries inherent in skeleton racing, where one arm swing and bent posture create unique movement patterns that the technology can quantify in three dimensions across multiple camera views.

Applications and Future Directions

The video highlights potential applications beyond elite sport. There is a clear pathway toward healthcare uses, including clinical gait analysis and rehabilitation monitoring after strokes. The researchers envision expanding the motion analysis framework to other sports, such as tennis and badminton, while also exploring non‑lab, real‑world settings. Ultimately, the technology could enable scalable motion analysis outside controlled labs, driven by creativity and needs across sport and healthcare. The team also envisions applying their insights to training for events like the 2030 Winter Olympics, with the coach perspective promising a broader impact on performance and safety.

Conclusion

Through a markerless, marker-free approach on an outdoor track, Bath University is advancing the understanding of human movement in high‑stakes sport, offering a bridge between laboratory precision and real-world athletic and medical applications.