Multi-Plane Comparative Study of Finger Angles and Range of Motion Using Mediapipe Pose Estimation for kinematic analysis

This study presents a comparative analysis of finger joint angles and range of motion (ROM) utilizing Mediapipe pose estimation for kinematic evaluation, based on video recordings obtained from three anatomical planes: frontal, median, and sagittal. The experimental protocol involved five healthy adult participants (2 females and 3 males, aged 20–40 years). Three synchronized cameras were employed to simultaneously capture real-time pose data from each of the three planes during the performance of a standardized drinking water task. This task required participants to move their hands from a resting position on the thighs to a table surface, grasp a glass, bring it to the mouth, return the glass to the table, and finally reposition their hands back to the thighs. Finger joint angles were continuously tracked throughout the task. Upon completion, angular data and corresponding ROM values for each finger were systematically recorded in a predefined Excel spreadsheet, and both the raw and pose-estimated video recordings were archived for further analysis. The results demonstrated that the median plane provided the most accurate and reliable measurements of finger joint angles and ROM, outperforming both the frontal and sagittal planes. These findings emphasize the utility of analyzing individual anatomical planes in kinematic studies and highlight the superior performance of the median plane in accurately capturing finger movement dynamics during functional tasks.