Toronto-based Theia’s 3D motion-capture technology is playing a key role in a study that could help healthcare workers better avoid a common workplace injury.

The tech company announced on Tuesday morning that it’s collaborating with New Brunswick researchers to help evaluate whether a patient-turnover device—which helps caregivers turn patients over in hospital beds—could meaningfully reduce their risk of injury

The researchers are tracking healthcare workers’ movements as they use Vendlet, a device made by European company DHG Denmark, to reposition “simulated patients,” which are actually members of the research team posing as patients. By comparing the motion data of the caregivers who used Vendlet when lifting to those who didn’t, the study aims to measure if the device makes the action less physically strenuous.

Musculoskeletal injuries are one of the most common causes of time loss in the Canadian workers’ compensation system, according to the BC Nurses’ Union. For nurses and healthcare support staff, patient lifts and transfers are a leading culprit, as they can place intense strain on the lower back. Vendlet’s tech was previously shown to reduce physical strain on the caregiver when repositioning a patient, but the tech hasn’t yet been proven in Canada.

Theia’s flagship product, Theia3D, turns video data from multiple cameras into biomechanical data that maps movement onto a 3D skeletal model, analyzing how joints move in space. The company also says video data is analyzed locally, reducing privacy concerns about data being sent to a cloud provider.