Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Skin Strain Measurement To Predict Knee Joint Angles Through Nanocomposite Stain Gauges, Adin Martineau, James Tracy, Gavin Collins, Parker Rosquist, Dustin A. Bruening, Matt K. Seeley, David T. Fullwood, Anton E. Bowden

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Explores the possibility of using high deflection nanocomposite strain gauges as knee joint angle sensor.

Redesign Of Computer Keyboards For Hospital And Consumer Use, Kent Williams, Brian Jensen, Anton Bowden

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Application of carbon nanotube coatings to computer keyboards in order to reduce the spread of bacteria in hospitals and homes.

Keywords: carbon nanotube, bacteria, antimicrobial, keyboard, design, MRSA, biofilm

Soft-Tissue Artifact Compensation For Electromagnetic Motion Capture, George T. Dickinson, Steven K. Charles

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

This purpose of this study is to develop a soft-tissue artifact compensation algorithm for the upper arm using electromagnetic motion capture systems that can be implemented in a wide range of applications. This study focuses on compensation of humeral axial rotation and forearm axial rotation.

Characterization Of Essential Tremor In The Major Degrees Of Freedom Of The Upper Limb, Adam Pigg, David Standring, Steven Charles

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

No abstract provided.

Simulation Of Tremor Propagation In The Upper Limb, Thomas Corie, Steven K. Charles Dr

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder and is estimated to affect between 1 and 12 million people in the US. Our long-term goal is to develop effective wearable tremor-suppressing devices. To reach this goal, we must first understand how tremor propagates from its mechanical origin (muscle) to the hand, where it matters most. The purpose of the current work is to characterize the extent to which tremor in different muscles or muscle groups contributes to tremor at the hand.

Computational Characterization Of Blood Vessel Strain In Wire Myography, Sameer S. Nandikar, M Converse, K L. Monson

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Blood vessels, and the mechanical forces that act on them, play a key role in both health and disease. As a consequence, the mechanical properties of vessels have been under study for over a century. A variety of approaches have been used to define vessel properties, including stretching of vessel rings to study circumferential behavior, a configuration commonly used in wire myography. The objective of the present study was to develop a finite element model to quantify strains throughout a vessel ring during such loading.

A Nanocomposite Sensor Neck Sleeve For Tracking In Vivo Spine Kinematics In The Alpaca, Colton Porter Graham, Anton Bowden

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Chronic low back pain in the US is often attributed to intervertebral disc degeneration. Camelids, particularly alpacas, pose a potential model for spinal treatment due to similarity of the spinal structure and vertical loading. Alpacas also exhibit a high rate of natural disc degeneration. To gain more understanding about how disc degeneration is caused in alpacas it is necessary to understand the loading and motion of the alpaca cervical spine. The goal of the present work was to incorporate nanocomposite sensors into a custom-designed neck sleeve to track the daily in-vivo neck motion of an alpaca in its natural environment.

Using Optimization To Determine Tremor Propagation, Paul Curtis, Steven K. Charles

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

: Essential Tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders, with millions affected in the US. Currently there are two main treatment options: medication and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Available medications are only 50% effective, and in only 50% of patients, and many patients consider DBS too invasive. The purpose of our research is to determine the origin and propagation of tremor throughout the upper limb.

Portable, Powerless Automation Of Valve Actuation For Microfluidic Large-Scale Integration Technology, Andrew Schmidt Mr., Matt Fitzgerald Mr., Emre Araci Mr., Connor Mcloughlin Mr.

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Portable, powerless automation of valve actuation for microfluidic large-scale integration technology