Understanding Human Motion: A Historic Review

Abstract

Understanding human motion is based on analyzing global motion patterns, rather than on studying local patterns such as hand ges- tures or facial expressions. This introductory chapter reviews briefly (by selection, not by attempting to cover developments, and with a focus on Western History) people and contributions in science, art, and technol- ogy which contributed to the field of human motion understanding. This review basically stops at the time when advanced computing technology became available for performing motion studies based on captured image data or extensive (model–based) calculations or simulations.