Taking technology out to pasture

A University of Missouri-Columbia equine veterinarian is using motion-capture technology to diagnose lameness and spinal ataxia, common and significant medical conditions in horses.

Both can lead to loss of limb use or death of the animal, but the new technology might help veterinarians identify the specific problems early enough to seek a treatment.

"The problem with the current motion-capture technology is that you need a laboratory and the equipment is extremely expensive," said Kevin Keegan, associate professor of veterinary medicine and surgery. "Our new system allows a veterinarian to evaluate and diagnose a horse in the pasture or in the barn."

Keegan, together with P. Frank Pai, a mechanical engineer at MU, and Yoshiharu Yonezawa at the Hiroshima Institute of Technology in Japan, developed a system that consists of four small motion sensors that are attached to the horse's head and legs.

The sensors are so small and light that they do not affect the horse’s movement. As the horse moves, the sensors record the movement and relay the data to a portable computer. Later, the data is analyzed and a diagnosis is made.