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Dynamic Segmental Kinematics Of The Lumbar Spine During Diagnostic Movements, Paul Mcmullin
Dynamic Segmental Kinematics Of The Lumbar Spine During Diagnostic Movements, Paul Mcmullin
Theses and Dissertations
While lumbar kinematics can be measured in vivo, most measurements are invasive (such as percutaneous bone pins), provide high doses of radiation (such as biplane fluoroscopy), or are taken with the patient in a static position (such as MRIs). Recent work suggests that lumbar kinematics can be determined by dynamic measurements of epidermal strain in the lower back. This work aims to develop and examine a method of examining lumbar kinematics via optoelectronic motion capture utilizing skin-mounted markers in the lumbar region. Two studies were performed. One study examined lumbar epidermal strain in 28 asymptomatic subjects during diagnostic movements, while …
Designed For Better Control: Using Kinematic And Dynamic Metrics To Optimize Robot Manipulator Design, John R. Morrell
Designed For Better Control: Using Kinematic And Dynamic Metrics To Optimize Robot Manipulator Design, John R. Morrell
Theses and Dissertations
In the field of control theory, optimal performance is generally defined as the best possible controlled performance given a static, unchangeable plant system. However, principled design of the underlying system can make designing effective controllers easier and dramatically improve the final control performance beyond what any finely tuned controller could achieve alone. This work develops performance metrics for serial robot arms which help guide the design and optimization of the structure of the arm to achieve greater final performance. First, a kinematic (motion-based) metric called the Actuator Independence Metric (AIM) measures the uniqueness of the movement capabilities of the different …