Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Development Of A Low-Cost Algometer, Thomas D. Naish, Ana Luisa Trejos, Dave M. Walton

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Many people suffer from chronic pain, the reasons for which are not always well understood. Algometers are instruments that can help clinicians understand the nature of pain by determining the force at which pain becomes noticeable or unbearable. Algometers can also be used to determine the effects that external influences can have on pain tolerance in healthy people.

The goal of this project was to develop an algometer that can measure the normal range of pain thresholds and tolerances of most patients, which ranges up to 35 lbs. Also, the result needed to be accurate to about 1% and made …

Etherapy: The Next Generation Of Physical And Occupational Therapy, Colin Elliott

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The purpose of the research is to create software capable of revolutionizing the way physical and occupational therapy is done by utilizing wireless inertia sensors. The inertia sensors themselves can accurately identify their exact position in space. Hence, when they are attached correctly to a patient requiring therapy, they can provide precise data on the patient’s real-time motions. It is the goal of the software to leverage the power of the sensors to provide real-time feedback to the patient and to the therapist to ensure patients are performing prescribed exercises correctly and are restoring their range(s) of motion. For ease …

Estimating Variations In Metabolic Cost Within The Stride Cycle During Level And Uphill Walking, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Indirect calorimetry provides the average cost of a stride cycle and prevents from identifying which part of the gait cycle causes increased metabolic cost in patients, however, recent simulation methods allow estimating the time profile of metabolic cost within the stride cycle. In this study, we compare the estimations of the time profile of the metabolic cost of two simulation methods for level and uphill walking. We used kinematic, kinetic and electromyography data from level and uphill walking (one participant) to estimate the time profiles of metabolic cost using the muscle-level metabolic model of Umberger using electromyography and kinematic data …