BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

[Albino Gian Schifino]

Attention Biomechanists,
I am interning at a lab that is considering purchasing equipment from BTS Bioengineering, specifically the integrated system including: Motion Capture, Force-Plates, and EMG,

Knowing BTS is a relatively new company, I am weary of the accuracy and whether the software is user-friendly.

If you have any experience with the BTS system or a similar system that allows for simultaneous measurement of Motion Capture, Force production and EMG activity, please share your experience.

I am really interested in hearing your thoughts on the BTS system, the good, the bad, the things to avoid, or even alternate considerations away from BTS. We appreciate all the help we receive as the purchase of the system is time-urgent.

Thank you kindly for your time and attention,


A.G. Schifino

[Albino Gian Schifino]

URGENT: Advice Needed - BTS Integrative System - Motion capture, emg, force plates

Attention all experiences Biomechanists!!!!

Our lab is considering the purchase of an integrated system including: Motion capture, force plates and EMG.

If you have any prior experience with the BTS system (especially, the fully integrated system) PLEASE share with me your experience.

Any and all information regarding your personal experience with the system/software and would like to share it would be much appreciated.

Best,
A.G. Schifino

[Robin M. Queen]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

What a great question and something that so many of us have to consider when we are looking to set up our labs. I spent 10+ years at Duke University Sports Medicine using various motion capture systems both in my role at Duke and in my role as a consultant for other groups so have worked with a range of companies over the years. I have not worked with BTS so I can't speak specifically to that company. However, 2+ years ago I changed institutions and moved to Virginia Tech to direct the GranataLab and was again faced with this decision of the right equipment (MoCap, FP, EMG, plantar loading) and this time under the constraints of a state school. After many conversations with a variety of trusted colleagues and in discussions with other vendors to ensure compatibility across the systems I decided to purchase Qualisys for the MoCap work that I was going to be pursing. Though their installation team was available, Ichoose to install the system myself based on how quickly I needed to be up and running as well as my desire to have the system set to my preferences as quickly as possible I just read the manual and used the information I had been taught over the years regarding MoCap system setup and I was able to get the system installed and up and running before the installer from Qualisys arriving on campus. The process of setup and the navigation of the software is very intuitive. The terminology is different for every MoCap system, but this was not a huge challenge either, things made sense and the manual was easy to follow. I was able to digitally integrate Qualisys with my EMG system (Delysis), force plates (AMTI) as well as working with Novel (probably the most challenging to synch but only too about an hour) to integrate in-shoe pressure measurement (Pedar). We did not initially integrate with real-time collection in Visual3D, but have since made that change as well with very minimal time commitment. Since my arrival at Virginia Tech, Qualisys has provide two additional systems and we are in the process of finalizing a group support and service agreement for the multiplesystems on campus to enhance our needs. I have not regretted the decision to go with Qualisys and it has been both an amazing research tool, but also allows me to teach my students (Grad, undergrad, and medical) how to collect and process MoCap and other biomechanical data in a very efficient manner. As you are making this decision I suggest you contact Qualisys to see if they have a solution that will work for you. They are always willing discuss system sizes and help you determine what is best for your application, at least that has been my experience. Just to make it easier for you if you are interested, you can take a look at their system on the websitewww.qualisys.com or you can contact Dan India (847-945-1411) who is the Head of the Americas Division of Qualisys. If you happen to be on the East Coast you can also contact Scott Coleman (Scott.Coleman@qualisys.com) Technical Sales Manager. Good luck with the decision and with the lab setup.

Cheers,
Robin Queen, PhD, FACSM
Director: Kevin Granata Biomechanics Lab
BEAM
Virginia Tech

Attention Biomechanists,

My lab is considering purchasing equipment from BTS Bioengineering, specifically the integrated system including: Motion Capture, Force-Plates, and EMG,

Knowing BTS is a relatively new company, I am weary of the accuracy and whether the software is user-friendly.

If you have any experience with the BTS system or a similar system that allows for simultaneous measurement of Motion Capture, Force production and EMG activity, please share your experience.

I am really interested in hearing your thoughts on the BTS system, the good, the bad, the things to avoid, or even alternate considerations away from BTS. We appreciate all the help we receive as the purchase of the system is time-urgent.

Thank you kindly for your time and attention,

A.G. Schifino
was hoping to

[Drew Smith]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Dear A.G.

Though having years of experiences in mocap involving 3 different vendors, my current 3D mocap vendor, Qualisys, was instrumental in providing to Samuel Merritt University a complete, turn-key solution from cameras to EMG and force plates (installation and training included) with a single integration and point of contact. Furthermore, when support is needed, we receive proper treatment, customer service as expected and when in need, we can talk directly to the developers to work out solutions. I have been very satisfied with their accuracy, systems integration, and their module software support. I like the fact that they offer one site license and I can load the software on multiple authorized machines with out hardware keys and locks. This is a huge benefit in a lab with multiple technicians and students.

Please consider this alternative when making decisions. You can contact their head of Americas and speak to an owner, Dan India at Dan.india@qualisys.com for further discussions.

[Albino Gian Schifino]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

What a great question and something that so many of us have to consider when we are looking to set up our labs. I spent 10+ years at Duke University Sports Medicine using various motion capture systems both in my role at Duke and in my role as a consultant for other groups so have worked with a range of companies over the years. I have not worked with BTS so I can't speak specifically to that company. However, 2+ years ago I changed institutions and moved to Virginia Tech to direct the GranataLab and was again faced with this decision of the right equipment (MoCap, FP, EMG, plantar loading) and this time under the constraints of a state school. After many conversations with a variety of trusted colleagues and in discussions with other vendors to ensure compatibility across the systems I decided to purchase Qualisys for the MoCap work that I was going to be pursing. Though their installation team was available, Ichoose to install the system myself based on how quickly I needed to be up and running as well as my desire to have the system set to my preferences as quickly as possible I just read the manual and used the information I had been taught over the years regarding MoCap system setup and I was able to get the system installed and up and running before the installer from Qualisys arriving on campus. The process of setup and the navigation of the software is very intuitive. The terminology is different for every MoCap system, but this was not a huge challenge either, things made sense and the manual was easy to follow. I was able to digitally integrate Qualisys with my EMG system (Delysis), force plates (AMTI) as well as working with Novel (probably the most challenging to synch but only too about an hour) to integrate in-shoe pressure measurement (Pedar). We did not initially integrate with real-time collection in Visual3D, but have since made that change as well with very minimal time commitment. Since my arrival at Virginia Tech, Qualisys has provide two additional systems and we are in the process of finalizing a group support and service agreement for the multiplesystems on campus to enhance our needs. I have not regretted the decision to go with Qualisys and it has been both an amazing research tool, but also allows me to teach my students (Grad, undergrad, and medical) how to collect and process MoCap and other biomechanical data in a very efficient manner. As you are making this decision I suggest you contact Qualisys to see if they have a solution that will work for you. They are always willing discuss system sizes and help you determine what is best for your application, at least that has been my experience. Just to make it easier for you if you are interested, you can take a look at their system on the websitewww.qualisys.com or you can contact Dan India (847-945-1411) who is the Head of the Americas Division of Qualisys. If you happen to be on the East Coast you can also contact Scott Coleman (Scott.Coleman@qualisys.com) Technical Sales Manager. Good luck with the decision and with the lab setup.

Cheers,
Robin Queen, PhD, FACSM
Director: Kevin Granata Biomechanics Lab
BEAM
Virginia Tech



Dr. Queen, I really appreciate your advice and the time you took to write a response. I am brand new to the Kinesiology Department at the University of Georgia (the lab currently looking into a new system), but based off discussions with my research adviser and colleagues, we are more interested in Force Plate and EMG systems, the fact of the matter is BTS offered a fully-integrated system (including Mo-Cap and Biodex integration, along with EMG and Force Plates). Another system we are considering is the Noraxon (if you have any further experience). My experience with these systems is very limited, although from my understanding, we are considering Qualisys as an option. Thank you again for your response.


Albino G. Schifino
Research Intern
University of Georgia
Department of Kinesiology

[Bryan Riemann]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Great question. Like many of the earlier posts, I also had to make similar decisions 15 years ago regarding motion capture, EMG, and force platforms. My situation is slightly different than your scenario of being a PhD student at a large university, so I thought it worthwhile to add my 2-cents. The difference for me was that I am at a small state university and would need to purchase components separately and in small chunks over time. Additionally, I had the limitation of only having very practically oriented undergraduate and master level students (e.g., human performance, strength and conditioning, physical therapy, etc.), not dedicated biomechanics master and PhD students. This latter limitation prompted needing a solution that would allow students to quickly be able to become involved in answering very applied research questions without having extensive biomechanical measurement coursework. Thus, for my needs, I needed a backbone that would allow growth over time with components from various vendors without requiring extensive software and procedural changes, as well as the ability for the undergraduate and master’s level students to perform data reduction without requiring too much faculty time. For this reason, I went with TheMotionMonitor (www.innsport.com ). We also initially purchased an extended range electromagnetic system from Innsport and integrated our existing AMTI forceplate. Over the past 15 years, we have transitioned over to using 12 Vicon cameras for motion capture, added several additional forceplates, two EMG systems (Delsys and Noraxon) as well as many other pieces of hardware (e.g., Biodex, loadcells, pressure sensors, custom built hardware, etc.). To date, we still use TheMotionMonitor as the backbone of our operations. Upgrading and adding the additional hardware has been seamless. I have found their support team to extremely responsive and helpful. Oftentimes they can readily help troubleshooting the various hardware, and when needed, will serve as a liaison with the various vendors. This has been a huge help and time save for me as I am not a traditionally trained biomechanist.

Again, just my perspective and experience from being at a smaller institution working with students with very applied interests. Because they have been successful in meeting our needs with our limitations, I don’t hesitate in giving them a recommendation towards meeting the scenario you describe.

Take care,
Bryan Riemann, PhD, ATC
Biodynamics and Human Performance Center
Armstrong State University
Savannah, GA USA

[Lindsay Luker]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

I am currently a user of the integrated BTS system at a children's hospital in Texas. Our system currently has 14 infrared cameras, 3 vixta video cameras, 12 force plates, 10 surface EMG channels and fine wire probes. We currently perform gait and upper extremity studies on our patients and are beginning Sports studies as well. As a system, I have been pleased with BTS as they have been very collaborative and responsive from the installation process to current day. We have been using the system for a little over 2 years. We have received support from their team located in NY as well as their home base of Italy. We have also been able to collaborate with other labs in Latin America. Regarding functionality of the system, we have been quite pleased with the efficiency of their 3D system as well as the ease in report building when we wanted to customize our reports for our center. Since original purchase, we have upgraded our EMG system from the Free 300 to the Free1000 and have been more pleased with this operating system. We occasionally have some difficulty with their vixta analog video system and some interference with EMG channels on our wifi system - but those are truly the depth of the issues, which I think is impressive. Additionally, they were willing to work with our organization to find HIPPA compliant approaches for our EMR, which may not be necessary for your setting, but is an example of their willingness to collaborate with their customers. I would be happy to speak with you in greater depth if you have additional questions. Hope this helps some.

[Will Vandenberg]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Dear A.G.,

I would be happy to speak to some of your questions and concerns.

BTS Bioengineering, in fact has over 30 years of experience in motion analysis technology. The company was founded in 1986, so we have been providing motion capture, wireless EMG, and force plates for many years. We are the only company in the world the produces motion capture, EMG, force plates, and analysis software, so all of these components are designed to work together natively, and you can purchase an entire motion analysis lab out of one hand. This eliminates any hassles with integration of third party systems, which all other companies require.

Our technology is FDA approved and countless research articles have been published using BTS systems, so you can be assured that our technology has extremely high accuracy. The SMART-DX 3D motion capture cameras, for example, have an accuracy of 0.1 mm in a 6m x 6m x 3m volume.

World renowned research universities and hospitals from around the US and the world use BTS technology on a daily basis. In fact over 1,000 centers have our technology and over 1,000,000 motion analyses are performed each year using a BTS system. To make BTS systems accessible to anyone, whether the user is a physical therapist, biomechanist, athletic trainer, doctor, or engineer, we pride ourselves in having easy to use software with built in analysis protocols that come with the system and can be customized.

If you would like to speak to any centers that use BTS technology, I would be happy to put you in touch with them directly. We are currently building a website to create an online community of BTS users, and you can see just a few of the centers using BTS systems at http://btsmotionsociety.org/.

Please also let me know if you would like me to send you any journal articles published using our technology. You can reach me anytime at will.vandenberg@btsbioengineering.com or by phone at 929-255-9134.

Have a great day,

Will Vandenberg
Lead Applications and Sales Engineering
BTS Bioengineering

[Ian Kremenic]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

We have had an integrated BTS system (10 motion capture cameras at 500 Hz, six force plates, EMG and three plain video cameras) and could not be happier. We started with just one of their EMG systems, to which I still refer as the sexiest EMG out there, and the full system is just as good. Obviously, the integration is great, but it also has the capacity to add other analog data, I believe 64 channels at a time. The software for acquisition is the easiest that I have ever used; I have previously used either in our lab or at a collaborator's Qualisys (admittedly, an older system), Motion Analysis Corp and Vicon. Their analysis software is also great (though I split time between that, Visual3D and MATLAB; the BTS software can output data either of the latter two can read) and is programmed via processing blocks that the user connects, similarly to LabView. They're also relatively inexpensive, which isn't a bad thing either. Support has been excellent, and they are always happy to make modifications to their pre-canned analysis routines and reports in response to user requests. Couldn't be more pleased!

Cheers,
-Ian Kremenic

[Chee-Hoi Leong]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Dear Albi,
as pointed out by the others who've responded to your question, there are lots to consider. I have personally utilized the Motion Analysis System at TOSH back in SLC and now BTS Bioengineering. First, you need to decide what exact application(s) is this mo cap system intended for. This will determine the specifications, which will then lead to the deal maker/breaker....cost. At this point, having inquired with Qualisys, MotionAnalysis, and BTS, all the systems are comparable functionally but it is the little things that set them apart. For example, our administration here at CCSU wanted to deal with and communicate with one vendor for all the applications (ie. EMG, force platforms, IR cams). Since BTS manufactures all their own equipment, this allowed them operate, maintain and service all the features integratively. Depending on your service contract for the different systems within the lab, some schools will have to deal the vendors separately. So my piece to you is more administrative. BTS has been fuss free at this point as they prepackage all their protocols in a way whereby a person can collect and analyze data without the need for in-depth knowledge of inverse/forward dynamics. Not my approach to understand the collected results so I had to spend more time outside of their packaged training to understand how their system is actually deriving all the calculated results.

Hope this helps...if not, call me.

Dr. Leong

Attention Biomechanists,

My lab is considering purchasing equipment from BTS Bioengineering, specifically the integrated system including: Motion Capture, Force-Plates, and EMG,

Knowing BTS is a relatively new company, I am weary of the accuracy and whether the software is user-friendly.

If you have any experience with the BTS system or a similar system that allows for simultaneous measurement of Motion Capture, Force production and EMG activity, please share your experience.

I am really interested in hearing your thoughts on the BTS system, the good, the bad, the things to avoid, or even alternate considerations away from BTS. We appreciate all the help we receive as the purchase of the system is time-urgent.

Thank you kindly for your time and attention,

A.G. Schifino

[Susan Sigward]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Attention Biomechanists,

My lab is considering purchasing equipment from BTS Bioengineering, specifically the integrated system including: Motion Capture, Force-Plates, and EMG,

Knowing BTS is a relatively new company, I am weary of the accuracy and whether the software is user-friendly.

If you have any experience with the BTS system or a similar system that allows for simultaneous measurement of Motion Capture, Force production and EMG activity, please share your experience.

I am really interested in hearing your thoughts on the BTS system, the good, the bad, the things to avoid, or even alternate considerations away from BTS. We appreciate all the help we receive as the purchase of the system is time-urgent.

Thank you kindly for your time and attention,

A.G. Schifino

A.G.
I have been using the BTS system for 3+ years. Prior to having the integrated system we used the Free EMG with our prior system. The main reason we got the integrated system was the ease of collecting EMG with MoCaP data. The integrated part meant we were not coordinating between different companies and products. We use it for research and assessment of athlete performance. With our research we run our data through V3D because we have always done that and we have all of our kinematic and inverse dynamics models set. BTS does provide models with their software. I just haven’t used them. For our athlete assessments we are looking at mostly force plate and EMG data and their software allows us to look at the data pretty easily. They also have a ton of protocols ready to use. There is a pretty steep learning curve for creating your own protocol if you don’t have a lot of experience but it doesn’t require writing code and they are really helpful in adapting or helping create testing protocol. Let me know if you have any questions, I can try to answer.


Susan Sigward PhD, PT, ATC
Associate Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy
Director, MS Sports Science Concentration
Director, Human Performance Laboratory
Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
University of Southern California

Tel: 323-442-2454
sigward@usc.edu

[Chris Kuenze]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

A.G.

This is a great question and I am not sure there is one right answer. I have worked with a BTS system at a previous job. The system featured integrated wireless EMG and Bertec force plates at a previous job. Overall, I found the hardware to work well and the software to be somewhat limited in its ease of use. For the most part, we ended up exporting raw data and processing using MatLab or other data processing packages.

In my current position, I worked with the Motion Monitor to design an completely integrated, turnkey system that includes a 10 camera motion analysis system (Vicon) and an associated AMTI force plates. What was nice is that they allowed us to select from a variety of hardware companies and options to build a system based on our wants and needs. Overall, I have found them great to work with and their data collection and processing software suite has made our lives a lot easier. Since we first started using the system, we have integrated a second force plate (Also AMTI) as well as several external data streams from non-vicon peripherals (timing gates, a microphone, etc.) with no complications at all.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have
Chris Kuenze

[Chee-Hoi Leong]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Hi Albi,
hope Georgia is treating you well. I second what Dr. Sigward emphasized related to having only to deal with one company with a complete integrated system. BTS manufactures their own equipment and their company is based in NY, meaning that service/support is either a phone call or drive away. This was a critical factor administratively for us. Functionally all the companies provided very comparable performance specs but BTS was most competitive for the money. Nevertheless, based on your utility (ie. teaching/research), be sure to communicate with the reps for each company to determine how they can tailor their equipment to your needs. Dan India (Qualisys), Gary Scheirman (MotionAnalysis) and Alex Czarowicz (BTS) have all gone out of the way to communicate and accommodate all our inquiries, so be sure to speak to them about your needs.

On the one hand, the BTS system has been fuss free up to this point and as pointed out by Ian Kremenic and Dr. Sigward, they provide canned protocols/models for the user to utilize with minimal fuss. On the other hand, I needed to custom my protocols and Will Vandenberg from BTS has been exceptionally helpful and prompt with communicating with me about how to un-can their protocols/models for our purposes.

So if your take all these feedback together, certainly plenty to consider. Let's talk/skype later this week.

Cheers,
Dr. Leong

[Kyle Chadwick]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

I am loving this thread. It can definitely be challenging judging and vetting all of the options for lab equipment, especially when each lab is unique in their needs. In my experience Qualysis, Vicon, Motion Analysis are well established choices for mocap, with OptiTrak being a newer option to consider if you want to do all your modeling in Visual3d. I have not had experience with BTS, but am glad to hear people having good experience with them as well.

Integration is obviously a big factor if you get the opportunity to start a lab from scratch, though I would say you the companies who work hard at being leaders in Mocap/EMG/Force generally all work well together. As Chris mentioned, The Motion Monitor is a good resource for taking the guessing out of integration by assembling turnkey systems, albeit with the help of their own software.

Best of luck,
Kyle Chadwick

[Albino Gian Schifino]

Re: BTS Bioengineering System - Use of the Integrative System

Thank your for taking the time to craft a response, and furthermore, for going into the details. This is the first I have heard of TheMotionMonitor, I will certainly give their products a look. One question I would like to direct back to you is about your EMG systems. You mentioned having both the Delsys and Noraxon. Currently, we are looking at both of these systems, as possible new pieces to our lab. I would really appreciate if you could share any insight on the systems, how they compare and contrast, a general sense of their usability.

Thank you, once again for your time and attention Dr. Riemann.


A.G. Schifino
Research Intern
University of Georgia