In the context of biomechanics, studying rat locomotion and analyzing joint angles is highly valuable. We utilize biplanar X-ray videos to create a three-dimensional model of rat locomotion, which yields important data such as 3D joint angles for both healthy and osteoarthritis rats. To achieve this, bone landmarks are identified and tracked using DeepLabCut software, followed by the computation of the 3D positions of these landmarks with XMALab software. Subsequently, a generic STL model of the hind limb bones—including the pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, and foot—sourced from OpenSim software, is registered with the computed bone landmarks. This registration facilitates the anatomical definition of joint axes. Finally, joint angles are calculated using relative Euler angles. Upcoming animations will showcase the sagittal and frontal views of rat locomotion, illustrating flexion-extension and abduction-adduction movements, respectively.

Lab Members: Dr. Mohammadali Rahmati