Des Moines Clinic Acquires Cutting-Edge Portable 3D Motion Capture Lab

WEST DES MOINES, IA (06/04/2025) Des Moines University Clinic is now equipped with a state-of-the-art portable 3D motion capture laboratory, the only one of its kind in the Des Moines metro. Made by Noraxon, this innovative system enhances DMU's capabilities in clinical applications, research and education, benefiting programs in physical therapy, sports performance and broader research initiatives.

The motion capture lab includes 16 movement sensors, eight EMG sensors for muscle activity, specialized insoles for precise pressure detection, and integrates with a portable force plate. Unlike traditional stationary motion capture labs that rely on infrared cameras and equipment within a fixed space, the DMU Clinic system uses advanced inertial measurement units, allowing for portable data capture in a variety of environments. This portability allows therapists to monitor movement anywhere from the classroom to the clinic to the athletic fields.

"The ability to conduct comprehensive 3D motion analysis on-site, whether for injury screening, performance enhancement or cutting-edge research, is a game changer for our patients and the wider community," says Shane McClinton, P.T., D.P.T., Ph.D., OCS, FAAOMPT, CSCS, physical therapist at the DMU Clinic - Physical Therapy in the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex.

The motion capture lab equipment was made possible by a donation from Andy and Katie Snook of West Des Moines, Iowa. The couple's son, Drew, a catcher on the West Des Moines Valley High School baseball team, worked with DMU's head athletic trainer and physical therapist Lauren Mach, P.T., D.P.T., ATC, while recovering from an elbow injury. The Snooks point to their positive experience with the DMU Clinic staff and their commitment to patient well-being as two reasons they wanted to fund the new technology.

"With DMU being down the street, I don't know that the community knows how lucky we are to have a resource like that," Andy Snook says. "Lauren and Shane have always taken great care of us. Because they give back to the community and they are both great human beings, the decision to give back to DMU was the easiest decision to make."

While the equipment contributes to the performance and well-being of athletes and the community in the short term, it's also a valuable teaching tool for future generations of DMU students. The system can measure and analyze the angles, orientation, forces and accelerations of the body during movement (throwing, running, jumping, etc.) several hundred to a thousand times per second. This allows physical therapists to understand the finer details of movement that relate to performance or injury that are not captured by the human eye. It offers real-time data visualization through graphs and a skeletal avatar that enables immediate feedback and retraining of movement to be as efficient and effective as possible to accomplish the patient or athlete's goals.

"Beyond a medical scope, giving athletes in the Des Moines metro access to technology that can help improve their performance in their game is going to impact a lot of people," Mach says.

About the Snooks

Andy Snook, former CEO and founder of Fastpath Solutions, is a lecturer of information systems and business analytics in the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Katie Snook is the former CFO of Fastpath Solutions and is now retired. She is a graduate of The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. The couple have two children, Drew and Graham, and reside in West Des Moines.

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