How Sanford Health Streamlined Their Motion Capture Research Workflows with Theia3D

Summary

Sanford Health, one of the largest U.S. integrated research institutions, faced challenges scaling motion capture assessments across facilities due to the limitations of traditional marker-based systems. Managing over 500 biomechanical evaluations per year, they needed a more efficient, consistent, and scalable solution. By integrating Theia3D markerless motion capture with Qualisys, Sanford streamlined workflows, eliminated the need for technical expertise, and achieved cross-site consistency. The result: faster evaluations, reduced setup time, and reliable data collection that supports high-quality biomechanical research workflows across multiple facilities.

Partner: Sanford Health
Team Lead: Colin Bond, Manager Biomechanical Engineer
Focus Area: ACL Injury & Return to training Evaluation
Solution: Theia3D Markerless Motion Capture, Integrated with Qualisys, Visual3D and Sift
Key Benefits: Time savings, scalable workflows, cross-site-consistency, ease of use

The Challenge: Scaling Motion Capture of 500+ Athletes Per Year

Sanford Health is one of the largest integrated research institutions in the United States, serving communities across the Midwest. As part of its Sports Science Institute, Sanford runs high-throughput biomechanics programs supporting injury biomechanics research and return to training decisions for athletes at every level.

At the heart of this work is Colin Bond, a Biomechanical Engineer who oversees data collection across multiple sites. His team handles more than 500+ ACL return to training assessments and over 250 running evaluations annually. Traditionally, this level of volume would be nearly impossible to scale using marker-based motion capture systems.

“Marker-based 3D motion capture just wouldn’t scale to our volume. Plus, we have staff across multiple research sites who aren’t deeply trained in the tech. We needed something easier and more consistent.”

- Colin Bond, Manager Biomechanical Engineer

Sanford’s previous workflows relied heavily on 2D video - a lower-fidelity approach that lacked integration with force plates and left room for subjective analysis. Beyond scalability, they also faced time-consuming setup and calibration, inconsistencies between locations, and limited ability to integrate biomechanical data streams.

The Solution: Theia3D, Qualisys and Visual3D for Modern, Scalable Motion Capture

To modernize and standardize biomechanics workflows across facilities, Sanford adopted Theia3D markerless motion capture integrated through Qualisys’ PAF workflows. Automated movement scoring then occurs in HAS Motion’s Visual3D. This combination empowers research teams, even those without deep technical training, to run full 3D motion capture sessions with just a few clicks.

Key benefits for the Sanford team: Scalability (hundreds of evaluations per year with minimal setup), Ease of Use (no markers, quick calibration, minimal training), Cross-Facility Consistency, Clothing Flexibility (participants can wear their own clothes), and Rapid Turnaround (reports in minutes, not hours).

“The ease of calibrating, collecting data, and clicking through the process was great. Between research sites, it really improved consistency - something we couldn’t get with markers.”

The Results: A Faster, More Scalable Workflow Across Research Sites

Since implementing Theia3D through Qualisys, Sanford Health has seen significant operational improvements including massive time savings in setup and processing, improved workflow efficiency enabling faster analysis, greater consistency across multiple facilities, and automated task scoring through Visual3D.

“Theia3D has transformed how we collect and compare data across multiple research sites. It’s fast, reliable, and ensures we’re delivering consistent, high-quality insights no matter where the assessment happens.”

Ready to See How Theia3D Can Fit Into Your Workflow?

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