Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Computational Methodology For Evaluating In Vivo Vertebral Mechanics In Subjects Having Various Conditions Of The Lumbar Spine, Christopher Brian Carr

Doctoral Dissertations

Treating and evaluating the causes of low back pain (LBP) is difficult and not fully understood. However, assessing the in vivo motions and loading characteristics in the lumbar spine may provide important data for progressing the diagnosis and treatment of pathologies linked with LBP.

This dissertation describes the development of a comprehensive approach for collecting both the kinematics and kinetics of the lumbar vertebrae under in vivo conditions. Forty-four subjects representing healthy, symptomatic, pathological, and surgically implanted (pre- and post-operative) conditions of the lumbar spine were evaluated using dynamic fluoroscopy and 3D-to-2D image registration to assess the motions of the …

Modeling, Control, And Motion Analysis Of A Class Of Extensible Continuum Manipulators, Apoorva Kapadia

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, the development of a kinematic model, a configuration-space controller, a master-slave teleoperation controller, along with the analysis of the self-motion properties for redundant, extensible, continuous backbone (continuum) ``trunk and tentacle' manipulators are detailed. Unlike conventional rigid-link robots, continuum manipulators are robots that can bend at any point along their backbone, resulting in new and unique modeling and control issues. Taken together, these chapters represent one of the first efforts towards devising model-based controllers of such robots, as well as characterizing their self-motion in its simplest form.
Chapter 2 describes the development of a convenient set of generalized, …

Joint Angle Tracking With Inertial Sensors, Mahmoud Ahmed El-Gohary

Dissertations and Theses

The need to characterize normal and pathological human movement has consistently driven researchers to develop new tracking devices and to improve movement analysis systems. Movement has traditionally been captured by either optical, magnetic, mechanical, structured light, or acoustic systems. All of these systems have inherent limitations. Optical systems are costly, require fixed cameras in a controlled environment, and suffer from problems of occlusion. Similarly, acoustic and structured light systems suffer from the occlusion problem. Magnetic and radio frequency systems suffer from electromagnetic disturbances, noise and multipath problems. Mechanical systems have physical constraints that limit the natural body movement. Recently, the …

Method For Determination Of Kinematic Sensor Position And Orientation From Magnetic Resonance Images, Caglar Ozturk

ETD Archive

Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury risk remain high for young athletes participating in helmeted and non-helmeted sports. Because of the short and potential long-term effects on young athletes and early onset Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, there is a dire need to correlate a relationship between head impact intensity, frequency, duration and athlete brain health. To address this need, the Cleveland Clinic is developing a custom mouthguard embedded with flexible circuitry and sensors, known as the 'Intelligent Mouthguard'(IMG). To accurately quantify peak values of head impacts or concussions, orientation and position of each sensor relative to CG (Center of Gravity) …

Biomechanical Comparison Of Lower Limb Unloading Between Common Modalities Of Ankle Foot Orthoses, Andrea Blake Wanamaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tibial stress fractures and other lower extremity injuries can be treated using an ankle foot orthosis (AFO). AFOs are popular because they allow the patient to ambulate somewhat naturally while reducing weight bearing on the injured limb. Despite their popularity, it is currently unclear how well AFOs reduce lower extremity weight bearing.

The first objective of this investigation was to examine the ability of three commonly used ankle foot orthoses to reduce weight bearing within the lower limb by comparing the ground reaction force measured from a force platform to the force measured from an insole pressure measurement device inside …

Generalizable Methods For Modeling Lumbar Spine Kinematics, Craig Joseph Simons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A more complete understanding of lumbar spine kinematics could improve diagnoses and treatment of low back pathologies and may advance the development of biomechanical models. Kinematics describes motion of the five lumbar vertebrae without consideration for the forces that cause the motion. Despite considerable attention from researchers and clinicians, lumbar spine kinematics are not fully understood because the anatomy is not accessible for direct observation and the complex governing biomechanics produce small magnitude, coupled intervertebral movements.

The overall goal of this project was to develop a descriptive model of intervertebral lumbar spine kinematics that is applicable to a generalizable subject …

Foot And Ankle Motion Analysis Using Dynamic Radiographic Imaging, Benjamin Donald Mchenry

Dissertations (1934 -)

Lower extremity motion analysis has become a powerful tool used to assess the dynamics of both normal and pathologic gait in a variety of clinical and research settings. Early rigid representations of the foot have recently been replaced with multi-segmental models capable of estimating intra-foot motion. Current models using externally placed markers on the surface of the skin are easily implemented, but suffer from errors associated with soft tissue artifact, marker placement repeatability, and rigid segment assumptions. Models using intra-cortical bone pins circumvent these errors, but their invasive nature has limited their application to research only. Radiographic models reporting gait …

Shield Design For Maximum Deformation In Shape-Shifting Surfaces, Daniel Eduardo Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research presents the initial studies and results on shield design for Shape-Shifting Surfaces (SSSs) seeking maximum compression and maximum expansion of a unit-cell. Shape-Shifting Surfaces (SSSs) are multilayered surfaces that are able to change shape while maintaining their integrity as physical barriers. SSSs are composed of polygonal unit-cells, which can change side lengths and corner angles. These changes are made possible by each side and corner consisting of at least two different shields, or layers of material. As the layers undergo relative motion, the unit-cell changes shape. In order for the SSS to retain its effectiveness as a barrier, …