Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Development And Application Of A Biorobotic Simulation Of Stance Phase Gait To Study Foot And Ankle Kinematics, Kelly N. Salb

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Ankle instantaneous axis of rotation (IAR) measurements represent a more complete parameter for characterizing joint motion. However, few studies have implemented this measurement to study normal, injured, or pathological foot-ankle biomechanics. Additionally, while load is suggested to play a major role in ankle biomechanics, including influences on articular surfaces, bony motion, and formation of the arches, studies concerning the effects of joint loading are limited.

A novel testing protocol was developed to simulate in vivo mechanics of the foot-ankle complex during early stance phase gait in a human cadaveric model. Two studies were conducted. The first study was to assess …

The Development And Application Of A Custom Robotic Biomechanical Testing Platform Employing Real-Time Load-Control To Compare Spinal Biomechanical Testing Protocols: Pure Moment, Ideal Follower Load, And A Novel Trunk Weight Protocol, Charles Ramsey Bennett

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The human lumbar spine has been the subject of biomechanical study for many decades owing to the numerous medical cases resulting in the development of various corrective surgical procedures and medical devices intended to relieve patient discomfort. Spinal biomechanics is a broad field containing but not limited to the in vitro study of cadaveric tissue utilizing testing platforms used to apply motion- or load-profiles to tissue in the investigation of the various kinetic or kinematic responses, respectively. The particular arena field of this research concerns the field of robotics as it applies to testing platforms and how they are applied …