SYNAPSE MOTION ANALYSIS LAB
The Technology at Motion Analysis Lab
The Motion Analysis Lab is engineered with industry-leading hardware and software to capture every millimeter of movement with flawless accuracy. The laboratory is conveniently located inside the Sawmill Sports Hub facility.
3D Motion Capture Systems
The facility utilizes a dual-approach camera system to capture data in its most authentic form:
- Markerless Motion Capture: Features 8 modular Optitrack Prime Color cameras powered by Theia 3D software for natural, unobstructed movement tracking.
- Markered Motion Capture: Utilizes 20 precisely mounted Optitrack Prime cameras integrated with Motive by Optitrack software for gold-standard clinical tracking.
Force & Muscle Tracking
- Force Plate Analysis: Equipped with 2 pairs of AMTI force plates (4 total) to measure ground reaction forces, balance, and explosive power.
- Wireless EMG System: Features the Delsys Trigno EMG system for real-time, wireless muscle activation and measurement.
Performance Flooring & Turf
- Performance Turf: Features premium Nex Field X-Gen E2 Pro turf across the performance tracking area.
- Court Flooring: Includes 1,200 square feet of Taraflex court area designed specifically for high-impact court sports and agility testing.
The Space
The Motion Analysis Lab space is designed to provide comprehensive, elite-level sports training and detailed biomechanical tracking. The dedicated sports performance footprint features world-class facility dimensions and equipment setups optimized for athletes.
Motion Analysis Lab Dimensions & Space Layout
The facility features highly customized testing layouts built to replicate true athletic competition environments:
- Total Facility Footprint: Spans a total space of approximately 8,000 square feet.
- Total Motion Analysis Area: Offers 3,200 total square feet dedicated entirely to movement testing and mechanics tracking.
- Teraflex Court Footprint: Features a dedicated 1,200 square foot Teraflex court area.
Sport-Specific Testing Equipment
The space is fully outfitted with professional, regulation-grade equipment to allow full-speed sports testing:
- Basketball Training Specs: Equipped with a regulation basketball hoop for vertical leap and shooting mechanics analysis.
- Volleyball Training Specs: Features a custom volleyball net for spike, block, and lateral agility assessments.
- Performance Turf Dimensions: Includes a 3,200 square foot total Performance Turf Area, meticulously split into 2,200 square feet of permanent turf and 1,000 square feet of modular space.
- Soccer Training Specs: Outfitted with a full-size soccer goal.
Integrated Facility Amenities
The Motion Analysis Lab operates seamlessly alongside an advanced ecosystem of professional cognitive and collaborative environments:
- Synapse Brain Gym: Access to a 1,200 square foot neural training room packed with 20 Neurovisualization Feedback Training (NVFT) stations.
- Additional Facilities: Accompanied by on-site offices, a dedicated conference room, and a team lounge and collaboration space for reviewing biomechanics data..
Services at the Motion Analysis Lab
The Motion Analysis Lab balances innovative athletic research with elite clinical execution, delivering objective, data-driven movement evaluations. Our custom athletic assessments identify biomechanical inefficiencies, mitigate injury risks, and track musculoskeletal rehabilitation progress with perfect precision.
Advanced Athletic & Rehabilitation Profiling
We build comprehensive, individual biomechanical blueprints using gold-standard tracking technologies to evaluate dynamic motor patterns and joint loading metrics:
- Return-to-Play Testing: Objective, data-backed metric profiles designed to safely guide athletes through sports injury rehabilitation and transition them back into full-speed competition.
- Injury Risk Prevention Screenings: In-depth stress and load distribution mapping to locate subtle kinetic chain flaws before they result in soft tissue or structural damage.
- Custom Biomechanical Baseline Profiling: Precision capturing of force production, baseline power, and precise joint angles during functional movements to optimize personalized physical therapy and training.
Elite Sports Performance & Sports Tech Validation
Our laboratory acts as a premier testing center for high-level performance optimization and independent, third-party athletic equipment evaluation:
- Sport-Specific Mechanics Assessment: Multi-angle 3D capturing designed to dissect and enhance the raw physics behind complex athletic actions like sprinting, jumping, cutting, and throwing.
- Independent Sports Technology Validation: Utilizing specialized, multi-axis force platforms and precision tracking cameras to systematically evaluate the performance claims of emerging sports gear, wearables, and innovative footwear designs.
- Real-World Performance Integration: Combining advanced clinical telemetry with true, reactive athletic scenarios inside our custom performance training space to capture natural movement execution.
Meet the Research Team
Dr. Brian Forsythe
Dr. Brian Forsythe is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and minimally invasive surgery. He is an expert in shoulder, knee, and elbow reconstruction, as well as biologic therapies. Dr. Forsythe serves as an orthopedic team physician for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Fire FC. An Assistant Professor at Rush University and an award-winning researcher and author, he is dedicated to patient-centered care with clear communication and individualized treatment.
Dr. Felipe Gonzalez
Dr. Felipe Gonzalez is an orthopedic surgeon and scientist at Rush University, where he serves as Coordinator of the International Fellowship in Biomechanics and Orthopedic Surgery. He is internationally recognized for pioneering advances in motion analysis and the use of artificial intelligence to better understand and treat orthopedic conditions. Dr. Gonzalez has published more than twenty peer-reviewed articles, authored multiple book chapters, and presented his research at over fifty global conferences. His work has earned numerous honors, including the Michael Freeman Award for Excellence in Knee Biomechanics and the ORS/OREF Grant for Orthopaedic Research Translation. He leads more than forty active research projects, mentoring orthopedic surgeons and medical trainees in biomechanics and sports medicine. A PhD candidate at the Federal University of São Paulo, he also trained at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, graduating in the top ten percent of the Clinical Research program.
Dr. Markus A. Wimmer
Dr. Markus A. Wimmer is the Jorge O. Galante Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, where he serves as Associate Chairman for Research and Director of the Human Motion Analysis and Tribology Laboratories. An international authority in orthopedic biomechanics and implant wear, he holds joint faculty appointments in Rheumatology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Wimmer’s career is rooted in global innovation, having previously served as a Group Leader at the AO Research Institute in Switzerland, where he pioneered foundational research in orthopedic tribology. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the Hamburg University of Technology and a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich. Today, he is recognized worldwide for his contributions to motion analysis and the development of high-performance orthopedic technologies.
Mike Toman
Mike Toman is a healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in physical therapy, clinic operations, and multi-site leadership. As Vice President of Clinical Operations at Athletico Physical Therapy, he oversaw 56 clinics and 125 therapists with full P&L responsibility, leading market expansion, operational efficiency initiatives, and revenue growth. Mike has a strong record of launching successful de novo clinics, negotiating higher-value payer contracts, and building long-term referral networks across physicians, attorneys, and case managers. His leadership includes directing multi-state teams, managing clinic consolidations with high revenue retention, and designing innovative staffing models that generated significant annual growth. A former physical therapist with extensive outpatient and inpatient experience, Mike combines clinical insight with strategic business acumen. He holds a B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.S. in Physical Education with an Athletic Training emphasis from Illinois State University.
Camilla Antognini
Camilla Antognini is a biomedical engineer with a Double M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago and Politecnico di Milano. She specializes in motion analysis for rehabilitation, performance enhancement, and injury prevention. As a researcher at Rush University Medical Center, she collaborates with clinicians to translate human movement data into innovative patient-care technologies. Camilla is an active contributor to international research collaborations, has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and has presented original research at leading global conferences including ISTA, ASB, OARSI, IISART RehabWeek, and BMES.
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Research and Validation Studies
The Motion Analysis Lab is committed to advancing the fields of sports science, biomechanics, and rehabilitation through rigorous academic and product validation research. Our state-of-the-art facility provides a premium environment for testing emerging technologies and human movement mechanics.
Academic & Technical Research Initiatives
Our laboratory acts as a centralized data collection hub, offering gold-standard telemetry tools for clinical investigators and sports tech innovators:
- Ongoing Biomechanical Research: Research is actively ongoing in this field, utilizing our integrated 3D motion capture systems, multi-axis force plates, and wireless muscle activation tracking to explore new frontiers in athletic performance and injury mitigation.
- Upcoming Publications & Data Validation: Several comprehensive validation studies are expected to be fully validated and published soon, providing the sports science community with peer-reviewed insight into modern sports equipment, footwear innovations, and neuromotor performance training.