The development and application of an opto-electronic technique for analysis of body movements MitchelsonD.L. 2019 The relative merits of the most commonly used techniques for analysis of human movement are briefly outlined. The performance characteristics of the ideal instrumentation for recording movement are listed. As a consequence of these considerations, an opto-electronic technique which makes use of polarised light is developed for measuring angular orientation of limb and body segments. This technique is used to study patterns of upper arm abduction during a simple lifting task, and to study the relationship between, arm and trunk movements during a task which requires reaching to various distances on a table surface. The merits of the opto-electronic technique are discussed in the light of the experience gained from the experimental applications, and recommendations are made for the future development of the instrumentation.