ANATOMICAL FRAMES OF REFERENCE AND BIOMECHANICS

For dynamic simulation of human movement, segment axis systems are often defined by the inertial tensor unique to each simulated body segment. When empirical three-dimensional data are sought that describe either the mass distribution or the kinematic properties of the human body, anatomical frames of reference are needed for the sake of measurement methodology and data comparability. Anatomical axis systems are based on anatomical landmarks that must represent functional and stable features in the skeletal geometry. The role of anthropometric landmarks used in defining anatomical coordinate axis systems is discussed with examples from current research regarding the kinematics of the hip joint and mass distribution of the whole body. The use of anatomical frames of reference will improve the correspondence between computer simulations of the human body and the biological structure.