An infrared range camera-based approach for three-dimensional locomotion tracking and pose reconstruction in a rodent

We herein introduce an automated three-dimensional (3D) locomotion tracking and pose reconstruction system for rodents with superior robustness, rapidity, reliability, resolution, simplicity, and cost. An off-the-shelf composite infrared (IR) range camera was adopted to grab high-resolution depth images (640 × 480 × 2048 pixels at 20 Hz) in our system for automated behavior analysis. For the inherent 3D structure of the depth images, we developed a compact algorithm to reconstruct the locomotion and body behavior with superior temporal and solid spatial resolution. Since the range camera operates in the IR spectrum, interference from the visible light spectrum did not affect the tracking performance. The accuracy of our system was 98.1 ± 3.2%. We also validated the system, which yielded strong correlation with automated and manual tracking. Meanwhile, the system replicates a detailed dynamic rat model in virtual space, which demonstrates the movements of the extremities of the body and locomotion in detail on varied terrain.

► A new automatic locomotion analysis system using infrared range camera was developed. ► The three-dimensional locomotion tracking and pose reconstruction functions were validated. ► The system achieves advantages of robustness, reliability, and cost efficiency.