A Potrace-based Tracing Algorithm for Prescribing Two-dimensional Trajectories in Inertial Sensors Simulation Software

Inertial measurement units based on microelectromechanical systems are perspectives for motion capture applications due to their numerous advantages. A motion trajectory is restored using a well-known navigation algorithm, which assumes integration of the signals from accelerometers and gyroscopes. Readings of both sensors contain errors, which quickly accumulate due to integration. The applicability of an inertial measurement unit for motion capture depends on the trajectory being tracked and can be predicted due to the simulation of signals from inertial sensors. The first simulation step is prescribing a motion trajectory and corresponding velocities. The existing simulation software provides no user-friendly graphical tools for the completion of this step. This work introduces an algorithm for the simulation of accelerometer signals upon a two-dimensional trajectory drawn with a computer mouse and then vectorized. We propose a modification of the Potrace algorithm for tracing motion trajectories. Thus, a trajectory and velocities can be set simultaneously. The obtained results form a basis for simulating three-dimensional motion trajectories since the latter can be represented by three mutually orthogonal two-dimensional projections.