August 6, 2025 – Children’s Hospital Colorado has recently announced an upgrade to its Center for Gait and Movement Analysis (Gait Lab) with the Valkyrie camera system from Vicon, a provider of motion capture systems for sectors including life sciences, entertainment, and engineering.
The hospital stated that the new camera system will help to enhance its ability to analyze patient movement through real-time and 3D motion capture, enabling faster evaluation and more informed treatment planning.
The Valkyrie system, which supports 3D motion kinetics and kinematics, will help clinicians at the hospital to better assess walking patterns in patients with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal conditions, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, brain or spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophies, hip and joint issues, balance disorders, brace or prosthetic device modifications, and sports-related injuries.
“Our goal is to help our patients be as mobile and active as possible,” said Lucas Moore, program developer for the Gait Lab. “With updated camera capabilities, our ability to better see how a patient’s body moves during a clinical gait analysis – done to see how a child walks with or without the assistance of a walker, crutches or special braces – helps our team of experts evaluate data more quickly and craft the best treatment plans for our patients.”
The upgraded system will allow for the creation of patient avatars that visualize body movement and muscle activity, similar to motion capture techniques used in film and video games. These avatars can then be used to support collaborative assessments across specialties including physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, physiatry, kinesiology, and engineering.
Vicon, a motion capture technology provider with U.S. headquarters in Denver, began offering its Valkyrie system in 2024. This latest upgrade to Valkyrie includes access to a suite of networked motion capture cameras, which provide real-time and offline digital-optical motion capture data. Children’s Hospital Colorado added that it has used five different Vicon camera systems since 2007.
“The Gait Lab’s latest upgrade to Valkyrie cameras will ensure the Center for Gait and Movement Analysis continues to be on the forefront of motion capture technology as they have been for over 25 years,” said George Miller, senior account manager at Vicon.
Based in Aurora, Colorado, the Gait Lab typically sees around 550 patients annually and is the only accredited clinical gait and movement analysis lab in the region, and one of just 18 nationwide, according to the hospital.
Image credit: Children’s Hospital Colorado / Vicon
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.