Children's Hospital Colorado's Gait Lab Now Offers State-of-the-Art Camera Technology

Updated technology allows for better data resolution; helps with quicker diagnosis, results and patient recovery

AURORA, Colo., Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) recently improved its state-of-the-art Center for Gait and Movement Analysis (Gait Lab), the only accredited clinical gait and movement analysis lab in the region, using Vicon's newest camera technology, Valkyrie.

"Our goal is to help our patients be as mobile and active as possible," said Lucas Moore, program developer for Children's Colorado's Gait Lab. "We are thrilled we can now offer new technology. 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 quicker and craft the best treatment plans for our patients."

While Vicon technologies have been used in the Gait Lab for more than 25 years, the new cameras allow providers to use advanced motion capture techniques, including 3D motion kinetics and kinematics, helping them diagnose in real time and create the best treatment plans for patients.

The Gait Lab at Children's Colorado is one of only 18 accredited gait labs nationwide. It typically sees 550 patients per year, who come from Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska and surrounding states.

The experts in the Gait Lab see patients with a variety of 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.

The team uses state-of-the-art methods such as advanced video recording techniques and 3D motion capture technology to analyze a patient's body movement and muscle activity while walking. An avatar of the patient is created (an electronic image of their movement). This motion capture technology is the same technology used to transform character actors into digital characters for movies and video games and allows experts from specialties – including physical therapy, kinesiology, orthopedic surgery, physiatry and engineering – to ensure the best possible treatment for these patients.

Vicon, a pioneer in motion capture technologies with their U.S. headquarters located in Denver, began offering the Vicon Valkyrie system in 2024. Children's Colorado has used Vicon technology — five different camera systems — since 2007. The upgrade to Valkyrie includes access to a suite of networked motion capture cameras, which provide real-time and offline digital-optical motion capture data.

"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.

ABOUT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL COLORADO
Children's Hospital Colorado is one of the nation's leading and most expansive nonprofit pediatric healthcare systems with a mission to improve the health of children through patient care, education, research and advocacy. Founded in 1908 and ranked among the best children's hospitals in the nation as recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Children's Colorado has established itself as a pioneer in the discovery of innovative and groundbreaking treatments that are shaping the future of pediatric healthcare worldwide. Children's Colorado offers a full spectrum of family-centered care at its urgent, emergency and specialty care locations throughout Colorado, including an academic medical center on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, hospitals in Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch and Broomfield, and outreach clinics across the region. For more information, visit www.childrenscolorado.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT VICON
Established in 1984, Vicon is an award-winning, leading provider of tailored motion capture systems for the life sciences, media and entertainment, location-based virtual reality, and engineering industries. Vicon's pioneering motion capture technologies push the traditional definition of the term and enable the capture and analysis of all kinds of motion, whatever the modality: optical, markerless, inertial, VR, and beyond. Vicon is currently working with a large range of global clients in the life science industry, including Adidas, Australian Institute of Sport, Guy's and St Thomas Hospital, Loughborough University, MIT, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Shriners Hospitals, The Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, Victoria University and many more. Vicon is a subsidiary of Oxford Metrics (LSE:OMG), the smart sensing and software company servicing government, life sciences, entertainment, and engineering markets.

Media Contacts:
Blayke Roznowski, Children's Hospital Colorado
720-777-8713
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital Colorado