Development and application of a portable manual non-contact-type goniometric instrument for measuring human anatomical angular parameters

Several manual contact-type goniometric instruments have previously been developed to measure joint range of motion (ROM) during physical-therapy evaluation. These include the universal goniometer and the gravity-dependent goniometer, or inclinometer, which are used to measure the ROM angle of a subject in a fully erect posture. Here, we developed a manual non-contact-type portable goniometric instrument for the measurement of anatomical angular parameters based on the principle of spot irradiation by using laser markers. The accuracy of the developed instrument was tested and its performance was compared with that of a contact-type instrument by using a skeletal model (14 static angle assessments), a free posture manikin (18 static angle assessments), and healthy human bodies (5 males and 5 females; 11 dynamic angle assessments). Measurement errors were examined also. When taking the measurements, a visual landmark-detection method was used in place of the conventional palpation method, which is inappropriate for a non-contact measuring system. The instrument developed here is applicable for practical non-contact goniometry and ROM measurements.