Height estimations based on eye measurements throughout a gait cycle

Sylvia X M Yang; Peter K Larsen; Tine  Alkjær; Birgit Juul-Kristensen; Erik B Simonsen; Niels Lynnerup

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037

Height estimations based on eye measurements throughout a gait cycle

Sylvia X M Yang, Peter K Larsen, Tine Alkjær, Birgit Juul-Kristensen, Erik B Simonsen, Niels Lynnerup

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Anthropometric measurements (e.g. the height to the head, nose tip, eyes or shoulders) of a perpetrator based on video material may be used in criminal cases. However, several height measurements may be difficult to assess as the perpetrators may be disguised by clothes or headwear. The eye height (EH) measurement, on the other hand, is less prone to concealment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate: (1) how the eye height varies during the gait cycle, and (2) how the eye height changes with head position. The eyes were plotted manually in APAS for 16 test subjects during a complete gait cycle. The influence of head tilt on the EH was investigated in 20 healthy men. Markers were attached to the face and the subjects were instructed to stand relaxed, tilt their head to the right, to the left, forward and backward. The marker data for the right eye were used to calculate the EH. The respective deviation and SD from the relaxed standing EH and the EH in the Frankfurt plane, left tilted, right tilted, forward tilted and backward tilted, in addition to the corresponding head tilt angles were calculated. There was no correlation between the height of the subject and the maximum vertical displacement of the EH throughout the gait cycle nor between height of the subjects and the variation of the EH throughout the gait cycle. The average maximum vertical displacement for the test subject group was 4.76cm (±1.56cm). The average EH was lower when the subjects were standing in the relaxed position than in the Frankfurt plane. The average EH was higher in the relaxed position than when the subjects tilted their heads, except when they tilted their heads backwards. The subjects had a slightly larger range of motion to the right than to the left, which was not significant. The results of this study provide a range for eye height estimates and may be readily implemented in forensic case work. It can be used as a reference in height estimates in cases with height measurements based on time of the gait cycle and based on the degree of head tilt from video material. Our data also provide descriptive statistics which may be helpful when comparing eye height measurements of a perpetrator with one or more suspects.

Original language	English
Journal	Forensic Science International
Volume	236
Pages (from-to)	170-4
Number of pages	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037
Publication status	Published - Mar 2014

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10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037

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title = "Height estimations based on eye measurements throughout a gait cycle",

abstract = "Anthropometric measurements (e.g. the height to the head, nose tip, eyes or shoulders) of a perpetrator based on video material may be used in criminal cases. However, several height measurements may be difficult to assess as the perpetrators may be disguised by clothes or headwear. The eye height (EH) measurement, on the other hand, is less prone to concealment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate: (1) how the eye height varies during the gait cycle, and (2) how the eye height changes with head position. The eyes were plotted manually in APAS for 16 test subjects during a complete gait cycle. The influence of head tilt on the EH was investigated in 20 healthy men. Markers were attached to the face and the subjects were instructed to stand relaxed, tilt their head to the right, to the left, forward and backward. The marker data for the right eye were used to calculate the EH. The respective deviation and SD from the relaxed standing EH and the EH in the Frankfurt plane, left tilted, right tilted, forward tilted and backward tilted, in addition to the corresponding head tilt angles were calculated. There was no correlation between the height of the subject and the maximum vertical displacement of the EH throughout the gait cycle nor between height of the subjects and the variation of the EH throughout the gait cycle. The average maximum vertical displacement for the test subject group was 4.76cm (±1.56cm). The average EH was lower when the subjects were standing in the relaxed position than in the Frankfurt plane. The average EH was higher in the relaxed position than when the subjects tilted their heads, except when they tilted their heads backwards. The subjects had a slightly larger range of motion to the right than to the left, which was not significant. The results of this study provide a range for eye height estimates and may be readily implemented in forensic case work. It can be used as a reference in height estimates in cases with height measurements based on time of the gait cycle and based on the degree of head tilt from video material. Our data also provide descriptive statistics which may be helpful when comparing eye height measurements of a perpetrator with one or more suspects.",

author = "Yang, {Sylvia X M} and Larsen, {Peter K} and Tine Alkj{\ae}r and Birgit Juul-Kristensen and Simonsen, {Erik B} and Niels Lynnerup",

year = "2014",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037",

language = "English",

volume = "236",

pages = "170--4",

journal = "Forensic Science International",

issn = "1872-6283",

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T1 - Height estimations based on eye measurements throughout a gait cycle

AU - Yang, Sylvia X M

AU - Larsen, Peter K

AU - Alkjær, Tine

AU - Juul-Kristensen, Birgit

AU - Simonsen, Erik B

AU - Lynnerup, Niels

PY - 2014/3

Y1 - 2014/3

N2 - Anthropometric measurements (e.g. the height to the head, nose tip, eyes or shoulders) of a perpetrator based on video material may be used in criminal cases. However, several height measurements may be difficult to assess as the perpetrators may be disguised by clothes or headwear. The eye height (EH) measurement, on the other hand, is less prone to concealment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate: (1) how the eye height varies during the gait cycle, and (2) how the eye height changes with head position. The eyes were plotted manually in APAS for 16 test subjects during a complete gait cycle. The influence of head tilt on the EH was investigated in 20 healthy men. Markers were attached to the face and the subjects were instructed to stand relaxed, tilt their head to the right, to the left, forward and backward. The marker data for the right eye were used to calculate the EH. The respective deviation and SD from the relaxed standing EH and the EH in the Frankfurt plane, left tilted, right tilted, forward tilted and backward tilted, in addition to the corresponding head tilt angles were calculated. There was no correlation between the height of the subject and the maximum vertical displacement of the EH throughout the gait cycle nor between height of the subjects and the variation of the EH throughout the gait cycle. The average maximum vertical displacement for the test subject group was 4.76cm (±1.56cm). The average EH was lower when the subjects were standing in the relaxed position than in the Frankfurt plane. The average EH was higher in the relaxed position than when the subjects tilted their heads, except when they tilted their heads backwards. The subjects had a slightly larger range of motion to the right than to the left, which was not significant. The results of this study provide a range for eye height estimates and may be readily implemented in forensic case work. It can be used as a reference in height estimates in cases with height measurements based on time of the gait cycle and based on the degree of head tilt from video material. Our data also provide descriptive statistics which may be helpful when comparing eye height measurements of a perpetrator with one or more suspects.

AB - Anthropometric measurements (e.g. the height to the head, nose tip, eyes or shoulders) of a perpetrator based on video material may be used in criminal cases. However, several height measurements may be difficult to assess as the perpetrators may be disguised by clothes or headwear. The eye height (EH) measurement, on the other hand, is less prone to concealment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate: (1) how the eye height varies during the gait cycle, and (2) how the eye height changes with head position. The eyes were plotted manually in APAS for 16 test subjects during a complete gait cycle. The influence of head tilt on the EH was investigated in 20 healthy men. Markers were attached to the face and the subjects were instructed to stand relaxed, tilt their head to the right, to the left, forward and backward. The marker data for the right eye were used to calculate the EH. The respective deviation and SD from the relaxed standing EH and the EH in the Frankfurt plane, left tilted, right tilted, forward tilted and backward tilted, in addition to the corresponding head tilt angles were calculated. There was no correlation between the height of the subject and the maximum vertical displacement of the EH throughout the gait cycle nor between height of the subjects and the variation of the EH throughout the gait cycle. The average maximum vertical displacement for the test subject group was 4.76cm (±1.56cm). The average EH was lower when the subjects were standing in the relaxed position than in the Frankfurt plane. The average EH was higher in the relaxed position than when the subjects tilted their heads, except when they tilted their heads backwards. The subjects had a slightly larger range of motion to the right than to the left, which was not significant. The results of this study provide a range for eye height estimates and may be readily implemented in forensic case work. It can be used as a reference in height estimates in cases with height measurements based on time of the gait cycle and based on the degree of head tilt from video material. Our data also provide descriptive statistics which may be helpful when comparing eye height measurements of a perpetrator with one or more suspects.

U2 - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037

DO - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.037

M3 - Letter

C2 - 24503163

SN - 1872-6283

VL - 236

SP - 170

EP - 174

JO - Forensic Science International

JF - Forensic Science International

ER -

Height estimations based on eye measurements throughout a gait cycle

Abstract

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