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Biomechanics Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Biomechanics

Amphisbaenian Head Movement And Burrowing Forces In Damp Granular Media, Jacob Newell Jan 2023

Amphisbaenian Head Movement And Burrowing Forces In Damp Granular Media, Jacob Newell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Damp granular media is a difficult environment to study because it is both practically complex and it lacks equations which fully describe its behavior. In this study, an oscillatory lateral head movement and its effects while penetrating damp granular media were tested using a robophysical model. This experimental research was inspired by the burrowing behavior of the clade Amphisbaenia, a group of usually limbless squamates that employ a variety of different burrowing behaviors, but it can apply to a wide range of burrowers. This research could help with both human burrowing technologies and the further investigation of animal behaviors.


Power Amplification Strategies Across Animals, Rayhan Asif Jan 2021

Power Amplification Strategies Across Animals, Rayhan Asif

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Animals use muscles for movement, but some have evolved mechanisms to exceed maximum power used in a motion known as power amplification. In this literature review, I analyzed and compared the evolution of structures capable of power amplification between species. Structures capable of power amplification were broken down into the basic components of the engine, amplifier, and tool. The species analyzed were found to possess necessary structures for power amplification which were relatively similar to each other in morphology, but varied greatly in function. The ease with which these structures evolved was evaluated based on the amount of divergence which …


The Impact Of Flexibility On Balance In Rifle Athletes, Ileia Nagelkirk Jan 2019

The Impact Of Flexibility On Balance In Rifle Athletes, Ileia Nagelkirk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Research has shown that there may be a connection between flexibility and balance when evaluating fall risk in older adults and flexibility’s effect on a balance test (Emilio, Hita-Contreras, Jiménez-Lara, Latorre-Román, & Martínez-Amat, 2014); Overmoyer & Reiser, (2015). Balance is an important component of many sport movements, and has been shown to be particularly important in shooting performance in both novice and Olympic rifle athletes (Mononen, Konttinen, Viitasalo, Era, 2007; Ball, Best, Wrigley, 2003). The purpose of this study was to find if there was a relationship between a rifle athlete’s flexibility and their balance ability, to determine if flexibility …