Motion capture sensor to monitor movement patterns in animal models of disease

In this paper we present two new motion capture sensors to monitor motoric dysfunction in laboratory animals. The parameters that are recorded by our system correspond to neurological deficits that are typical for multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms in animals. Normally, quantification of motor impairment requires neurological examination and complex behavioral testing. However, to perform these tests is an error-prone and time consuming process. Therefore, a strong interest exists in the automation and objective analysis of motoric behavior. Our presented small, accurate, and lightweight motion sensors provides an optimal solution for this problem. The developed motion sensors have the smallest volume and weight requirements available at the moment to monitor motoric dysfunction of animals. The collected data from the sensor is more representative since the subjective human factor is minimized and the animal can stay in its usual environment rather than being placed in a separate observation cage. We present two wireless motion sensors. An active sensor is powered with battery and saving the data on a SD-Card. The second sensor works completely passive and is powered via electromagnetic field. The sensors provide full control over the data of a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and a three-axis magnetometer. The two principles were successfully tested in an initial animal experiment.