Introduction

This introductory chapter summarises the characteristics of modern biomechanical data which have motivated the use of functional data analysis techniques in biomechanics and human movement science. It introduces the main ideas in functional data analysis (FDA) and gives a brief history of the long-standing link between FDA and applications to human movement biomechanics. It then summarises the recent growing popularity of FDA methods in the field, and highlights how developments in FDA methodology have scope for wider uptake and application in biomechanics.