JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Good motor performance skills (MPS) are relevant in all stages of life. Higher MPS are associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, physical and mental health. The assessment of MPS is important in order to identify deficits in MPS at an early stage and implementing interventions to address these deficits. One method to assess MPS is through marker-based motion capture in a laboratory setting with multiple cameras. However, this approach is expensive and time-consuming, making it impractical e. g. in large scale studies for MPS assessment. Recent advancements in technology have opened up innovative solutions for various challenges. A potential solution is utilizing AI-based smartphone applications to assess MPS through markerless motion capture with a single camera.

Objective:

The objectives of this scoping review were to summarize existing smartphone applications designed to digitally assess MPS through motion capture, identify the target population of the applications and summarize the specific MPS that were assessed.

Methods:

The scoping review is in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The search was conducted in March 2024 using PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Education Resources Information Centre, and SAGE Publications. All included studies investigated AI-based motion capture smartphone applications to assess MPS.

Results:

A total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Seven different smartphone applications have been used within the studies, six of which have already been validated. The MPS assessed through the applications were gait, breaststroke, running, countermovement jump, shoulder mobility and one assessed a functional movement test battery. The studied populations were healthy adults, elderly, athletes or individuals with neurological illnesses.

Conclusions:

The assessment of MPS through smartphone applications represents a promising tool, that can be used in a variety of fields, like health and performance monitoring, coaching, and scientific research. In the future, more studies should focus on developing new smartphone applications, that assess different MPS and to validate these applications.