Multiple Monkey Pose Estimation with OpenPose

Salvador B. Negrete and colleagues have shared their protocol for utilizing OpenPose for tracking multiple monkey subjects. OpenPose is a deep learning software system which was originally developed for pose estimation in human subjects, now being repurposed and adjusted for monkey subjects. OpenPose software facilitates Part Affinity Fields (PAF) by tracking limb orientation rather than geographical location, which is why the similarities between primate skeletal structure and human skeletal structure made repurposing OpenPose feasible for use in monkeys.Salvador B. Negrete and colleagues have shared their protocol for utilizing OpenPose for tracking multiple monkey subjects. OpenPose is a deep learning software system which was originally developed for pose estimation in human subjects, now being repurposed and adjusted for monkey subjects. OpenPose software facilitates Part Affinity Fields (PAF) by tracking limb orientation rather than geographical location, which is why the similarities between primate skeletal structure and human skeletal structure made repurposing OpenPose feasible for use in monkeys.

OpenPose enables behavioral researchers to track the behavior of monkeys in natural environments, without disrupting their typical pattern of behavior. Researchers can analyze these monkeys during activities such as sleeping, grooming, and playing (ex. climbing) as well as specifically during interactions with other monkeys, all through the use of OpenPose. The opensource code for the OpenPose project (https://github.com/CMU-Perceptual-Computing-Lab/openpose) originated from the TensorLayer project (https://tensorlayer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), and formed the backbone of the network for the implementation of OpenPose in monkeys. Read more about the protocol for monkey tracking from Negrete and colleagues in their recent preprint (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.28.428726v1). Overall, the repurposed OpenPose software will be able to be facilitated to track individual and population-wide behaviors in non-human primates, monkeys, via limb orientation which will have further implications in behavioral animal analysis.

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