This state-of-the-art facility offers a unique means to measure the mechanical factors of joint loading, orientation, and neuromuscular function during activities of daily living including high demand recreational and occupational tasks. Located in Hotel Dieu Hospital and with the Skeletal Observation Laboratory and the Centre for Neuroscience as its neighbours, this lab is uniquely situated to facilitate collaborative interdisciplinary research.
The HMRL is located within Hotel Dieu Hospital, ideally situated in close proximity to orthopaedic clinics, the Skeletal Observation Laboratory and the Laboratory of Integrative Motor Behaviour. The HMRL fosters interdisciplinary collaborations between engineering, orthopaedics, and rehabilitation that are essential to the focus and innovation of research and translation of knowledge into clinically important applications.
The sophisticated equipment of the HMRL allows researchers to analyze joint angles, oxygen consumption, joint loading and muscle activation during everyday activities. The HMRL provides the necessary infrastructure needed for Queen’s to become a world leader in this new area of health care research.
Our laboratory consists of two motion capture collection volumes. The main volume is a large 50' x 25' open area surrounded by marker-based and markerless motion capture camera systems and includes four ground-embedded force platforms. From the control desk, we are able to record motion capture, ground reaction force, and electromyography data while research participants perform dynamic tasks. The secondary volume features a dual-belt instrumented treadmill surrounded by another marker-based motion capture system, allowing us to collect data during steady-state walking or running. Between these two collection volumes we are able to study a wide array of activities, including tasks of daily living such as walking and stair ambulation to dynamic athletic tasks such as jumping and cross-cutting maneuvers.
| Staff | |
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Vajra Keller |
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Robert M. Kanko, MASc |
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Dr. Elysia Davis, PhD Post-Doctoral Fellow 2020-2021 |
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Laura A Hutchinson, MASc Lab Manager / Research Engineer 2016-2019 MASc Mechanical Engineering '16 Queen's University, Kingston |
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Dr. Andrew WL Dickinson, PhD Lab Manager, Skeletal Observation Lab 2017-2019 PhD Computer Science '17 Queen's University, Kingston |
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Amy M Morton, MSc Lab Manager / Research Engineer 2012-2016 MSc Computer Science '11 Queen's University, Kingston |
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Dr. Adam Clansey, PhD Post-Doctoral Fellow 2013-2015 |
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Dr. Ross Miller, PhD Post-Doctoral Fellow 2010-2012 |
| Student Alumni | |
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Vajra Keller MASc, Queen's University 2022 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Practical Considerations for Effective Markerless Motion Capture Research |
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Megan Saftich MEng, Queen's University 2022 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio |
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Dr. Mitchell Wheatley PhD, Queen's University 2021 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: Why Do We Have Patellae? An Investigation of Patellofemoral Function and Dysfunction |
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Kieran Eveleigh MASc, Queen's University 2021 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Balance Evaluation Using a Markerless Motion Capture System |
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Dr. Michael Shepertycky PhD, Queen's University 2021 Supervisor: Q Li Thesis: Development and Evaluation of an Energy-Removing Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Human Gait Assistance |
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Dr. Lauren Welte PhD, Queen's University 2020 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: Arch-rivals? The roles of the windlass and arch-spring mechanisms in running |
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Robert Kanko MASc, Queen's University 2020 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Validation of a Markerless Motion Capture System for Human Movement Analysis |
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Liam Rodgers MASc, Queen's University 2020 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: Investigating Measurement Modalities for integrated Use in Overuse Injury Research |
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Zoe Mack MASc, Queen's University 2020 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: Causes and Effects of Variation in Wrist Range of Motion: Investigating the Kinematics of the Proximal Carpal Row |
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Dr. Chris Saliba PhD, Queen's University 2019 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio, MJ Rainbow Thesis: Two muscles are better than one: Co-contraction engages antagonistic muscles in response to perturbation |
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Dr. Jean-Paul Martin PhD, Queen's University 2019 Supervisor: Q Li Thesis: Altering Compliance of a Load Carriage Structure in the Medial-Lateral Direction |
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Dr. Jun-Tian Zhang PhD, Queen's University 2018 Supervisor: Q Li Thesis: Passive Lower-Limb Exoskeletons for Human Gait Assistance: Development and Evaluation |
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Shannon Neville MASc, Queen's University 2018 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Methods for Improving Ability to Investigate the Effectiveness of Non-Invasive Treatment Strategies for Medial Knee OA |
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Dr. Allison Clouthier PhD, Queen's University 2018 Supervisors: KJ Deluzio and MJ Rainbow Thesis: The relationship between knee joint shape and function: Implications for pathology and treatment |
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Myles Ashall MASc, Queen's University 2017 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: An Examination of Patellofemoral Joint Function Over a Range of Tasks |
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Laura Hutchinson MASc, Queen's University 2016 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Improved Accuracy in Optical Motion Capture Measurements Leads to Increased Sensitivity to Kinematic Changes |
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Dr. Elizabeth Hassan PhD, Queen's University 2016 Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Multivariate Techniques in Biomechanical Analysis |
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Jonathan Conte MASc, Queen's University 2015 Supervisors: KJ Deluzio, Q Li Thesis: IMU-Based Lower-Limb Joint Angles: A Comparison of Methods |
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Gordon Best MASc, Queen's University 2016 Supervisor: MJ Rainbow Thesis: Scaphoid and Lunate Carpal Mechanics Over the Spectrum of Healthy Function |
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Annemarie Laudanski MASc, Queen's University 2013 Supervisor: Q Li Thesis: Inertial Sensors for Kinematics Measurement and Activity Classification of Gait Post-Stroke |
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Lydia North MASc, Queen's University 2014 Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Supervisors: KJ Deluzio, T Bryant Thesis: Range of Motion and Impingement in Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty |
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Marcus Brown MASc, Queen's University 2015 Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Supervisors: KJ Deluzio, S Selbie Thesis: A novel method to analyze the mechanics of unloader braces for medial knee osteoarthritis |
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Dr. Scott Brandon PhD, Queen's University, 2015 Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Supervisor: KJ Deluzio Thesis: Brace Yourself: Reducing Medial Knee Loading for Treatment of Osteoarthritis |
| Visiting Researchers | |
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Dr. Gerda Strutzenberger, PhD Senior Scientist, University of Salzburg, Austria Mar - May 2019 |
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Valentina D'Angeli, P.Eng. Research Engineer, Movement Analysis Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopaedics Institute (IOR), Bologna, Italy March-May 2013 |
| Visiting Students | |
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Anja-Verena Behling PhD Candidate May - Sept 2022 The University of Queensland |
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Asuka Ohno BSc Candidate Jan-April 2019 College of Education and Human Sciences, South Dakota State University, USA |
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Evy Meinders MSc 2018 Mar - May 2018 Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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Dr. Renan Resende PhD 2014 Sept 2012-Aug 2013 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
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Dr. Silvia Cabral PhD Candidate Jan-March 2012 and April-June 2013 Biomechanics and Functional Morphology Lab, Faculty of Human Kinetics, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal |
| Name | Supervisor | |
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Jacob Calderone, MASc Candidate | KJ Deluzio |
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Kayla Lee, MASc Candidate | MJ Rainbow |
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Erin Lee, PhD Candidate | MJ Rainbow |
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Jereme Outerleys, PhD Candidate | KJ Deluzio |
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Anja-Verena Behling, PhD Candidate |
L Kelly (The University of Queensland) MJ Rainbow |
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Quinn Yetman, MASc Candidate | MJ Rainbow |
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Anastasija Mihic, QUIP Student | KJ Deluzio |
The HMRL was made possible though funds from national and provincial funding agencies as well as generous contributions from private donors:
Donald McGeachy Fund for Human Motion Performance
Be a part of cutting edge research!
Donate to the HMRL| Research & Technical Staff | ||
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Kevin J. Deluzio, PhD, PEngDean of Engineering and Applied Science, Laboratory Head Dr. Deluzio began his academic career at Dalhousie University in 1999 as one of the first faculty members of the new School of Biomedical Engineering, with a cross-appointment in the Deptartment of Surgery. There, he established the Dynamics of Human Motion Laboratory where his research focused on the investigation of the biomechanical factors of knee osteoarthritis and its treatment. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s University, where he established the Human Mobility Research Laboratory. |
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Michael J. Rainbow, PhDAssociate Professor, Skeletal Observation Laboratory Head Dr. Rainbow received his Bachelors of Science in Computational Physics at Penn State Behrend and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. His interest in biomechanics began in a gymnasium, where he applied the principles of mechanics to the gymnastics skills he was practicing. He was later introduced to the field of Clinical Biomechanics through an internship at the Motion Analysis Lab at Shriners Hospital for Children. The team at Shriners worked with Physicians to plan treatment strategies for children with musculoskeletal disorders. During his graduate studies at Brown, he continued his work in the musculoskeletal system by developing a three-dimensional multi-articular model of the human wrist joint. |
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Qingguo Li, PhD, PEngAssociate Professor Dr. Li received his PhD in the School of Engineering at Simon Fraser University (SFU). His doctoral research was in the area of robotics with a focus on developing non-grasping based manipulation methods for part transfer tasks. His doctoral work has won him the Governor's General Gold Medal. After his PhD, Dr. Li was a Post-Doctoral fellow in the School of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, at SFU. His research project was on biomechanical energy harvesting. This team developed a knee-based harvester, and currently it is being commercialized by Bionic Power Inc. Presently, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s. His research interests are in biomechanical system design and wearable sensors for human movement analysis. By managing energy flow during human locomotion, efficient exoskeletons and energy harvesters could work in concert with the user to improve gait performance. Dr. Li also directs the Bio-Mechantronics and Robotics Laboratory at Queen's. |
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Elise K. Laende, PhDPost-Doctoral Fellow |
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Vajra Keller, MAScHMRL Manager / Research Engineer |
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Markerless motion capture technology is a promising tool for assessing orthopaedic conditions without the need for invasive markers. Our project aims to develop a database of clinical and healthy populations with partnerships across multiple institutions throughout Canada.
Please use the link below to access our Wiki and learn more about setting up a markerless motion capture system at your site:
https://engineering.queensu.ca/mme/research/hmrl/mmoa-wiki.html
As a Queen's research facility we welcome prospective collaborators and students. We do not offer clinical gait assessments, but are happy to direct inquires to those who do.
Monday - Friday
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC -5:00)
Hotel Dieu Hospital
Human Mobility Research Laboratory
166 Brock St. Kingston, Ontario
K7L 5G2
Telephone: (613) 544-3400 ext. 2042
Twitter: @HmrlQueensu
Email Inquires: hmrlmanager@queensu.ca
The HMRL is located right in historic downtown Kingston, Ontario on the first floor of Hotel Dieu Hospital.
From the main lobby off Brock St., the HMRL is located between the Mary Alice and Johnson wings of the hospital.
