Student Projects

One of the most important components of the Anatomy of Movement course is to explore human motion through projects. Visit the team blogs to find out more about the projects as they evolve. Below are the four projects the class will tackle.

Introduction to the Student Projects

Students will develop a research question and test a hypothesis, using physical or computational models simulating human movement, and create a final 4-minute podcast of the project with a written report. The team will develop a storyboard that outlines the project, and update it weekly. The storyboard will help define the scope and presentation of the project and serve as the framework for the podcast of the project. Progress will be tracked in a team-maintained weblog (3-5 entries/wk). Students present the final project to the class, including the podcast, as well as submit a final digitized and written report. All projects are to be considered for future presentation to an academic meeting, or submission to an academic journal. Previous projects will be available as streaming video, reports, and podcasts on this website.

Student Projects from Previous Years

Student Projects for Winter Quarter 2009

1. Upper Limb Reach and Grasp Biomechanics & Sonification

Understanding the kinematics and kinetics of upper limb reach and grasp are essential for surgical and medical treatment of patients with upper limb injury. A biofeedback training device for upper limb motion will be developed based on auditory representation of kinematic data during the reach and grasp motion. Auditory cues are the primary feedback for learning novel movement and improving accuracy. Researchers from CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics), will assist students in analyzing acoustical representation of upper limb mechanics using 3-D motion analysis data from the Motion & Gait Analysis Lab and sonification techniques developed at CCRMA.

Team: Richard, Lauren and Molly
Resources: Motion & Gait Analysis Lab, CCRMA
Advisors: Rose, Ladd, Willis Mentors: Dahl, Zhao Consultants: Butler, Johanson, CCRMA Faculty

2. What is the Essence of Merce Cunningham?

The 20th century iconoclast of dance defies description in traditional dance terms: movement is unchained from music, particular dance phrases are chosen by the laws of chance, and boundaries of time and space are continually challenged. Merce Cunningham has said, "There's no thinking involved in my choreography...I don't work through images or ideas, I work through the body.” And, “I read Einstein by pure coincidence. He said there are no fixed points in space and I thought, well, that's perfect. That, as far as I was concerned, is about stage space. There aren't any fixed points. Wherever you are ... could be a center. Well that's a Buddhist thought, of course -- wherever you are is the center, as well as where everybody else is. But that seemed to me quite marvelous, and enlarging." So how can the ever-evolving dance style of Merce Cunningham be quantified in scientific terms? Technology as it relates to movement intrigues Mr. Cunningham, and we are fortunate that Stanford Lively Arts is part of the Cunningham collaborative projects to support the evaluation of technology and dance. This project utilize biomechanical analysis and sonification to examine the Essence of Merce.

Team: Ulysses and Kierann
Resources: Motion & Gait Analysis Lab
Advisors: Rose, Ladd, Willis Mentor: Zhao Consultants: Frank, CCRMA staff

3. Golf Swing Body Mechanics and Acoustics

The elusive perfect golf swing is a matter of many things: tempo and timing, as well as body mechanics and position are perhaps key elements. Body shape and size does not necessarily determine power and speed, nor is it predictive of one’s potential in a game that is as mental as it is physical. Although swing mechanics are well visualized for club development and for video games, motion capture of the golf swing has been largely untapped for its potential usefulness in injury prevention and treatment, and in conditioning and training. Stanford golf coaches (Conrad Ray and Caroline O’Connor) and professional golfers, along with researchers from the Motion & Gait Analysis Lab and CCRMA, will assist students in sonification of essential biomechanics of golf swing power generation based on acoustical representation using 3-D motion analysis and sonification techniques developed by CCRMA.

Team: Danielle, Daniel, Sally and James
Resources: Motion & Gait Analysis Lab, CCRMA staff
Advisors: Rose, Ladd, Willis Mentor: Meister Consultants: Zhao, Ray, O’Connor, Berger, Butler

4. Biomechanical Analysis of Taiji Master

Taiji (tai chi), the ancient martial art and exercise involves slow, gentle movements as training exercises that transform into the extremely fast, powerful movements of the martial art through a unique combination of muscle force, subtle weight shift and high accelerations. In the Motion & Gait Analysis Lab researchers have recently captured real-time movements of Taiji Master Chen Xiang, visiting from Bejing, China, that showcased the extremely fast movements generated by a taiji master’s deadly strike. To examine how the master can generate these deadly strikes without brute force, a hypothesis will be developed. Researchers on the Motion & Gait Analysis Lab will assist students to investigate the unique biomechanics of taiji.

Team: Alia, Maryam, Yoni and Jason
Resources: Motion & Gait Lab
Advisors: Rose, Willis Mentor: Zhao Consultants: Lee, Demircan