Estimation of Ground Reaction Forces from Kinematic Data during Locomotion

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method to estimate ground reaction forces during gait using only marker-based motion capture data, eliminating the need for force plates and enabling broader clinical application.

Contribution

The study presents a kinematics-only approach to estimate and decompose ground reaction forces, facilitating clinical gait analysis without force plate systems.

Findings

Accurately estimates CoM and GRFs from kinematic data

Identifies gait stance phases effectively

Supports force-plate-free gait analysis

Abstract

Ground reaction forces (GRFs) provide fundamental insight into human gait mechanics and are widely used to assess joint loading, limb symmetry, balance control, and motor function. Despite their clinical relevance, the use of GRF remains underutilised in clinical workflows due to the practical limitations of force plate systems. In this work, we present a force-plate-free approach for estimating GRFs using only marker-based motion capture data. This kinematics only method to estimate and decompose GRF makes it well suited for widespread clinical depolyment. By using kinematics from sixteen body segments, we estimate the centre of mass (CoM) and compute GRFs, which are subsequently decomposed into individual components through a minimization-based approach. Through this framework, we can identify gait stance phases and provide access to clinically meaningful kinetic measures without a dedicated force plate system. Experimental results demonstrate the viability of CoM and GRF estimation based solely on kinematic data, supporting force-plate-free gait analysis.