International Society of Biomechanics
XVIIIth Congress
July 8-13, 2001, Zurich, Switzerland

Congress Schedule (overview) - Congress Schedule - Main Topics - Awards - Keynote Lectures - Tutorials - Satellite Events

Tutorials

Registration together with congress registration.

In Vivo Human Skeletal Muscle Biomechanics

Tetsuo Fukunaga & Yasuo Kawakami (University of Tokyo, Komaba); Sunday, July 8, 09:30-11:30

In this tutorial, characteristics of human skeletal muscle-tendon unit in vivo will be discussed with respect to the morphological and functional properties. Introduction to the methods will be provided, and recent finding from in vivo studies will be reviewed. The talk will include the following topics.

• Measurement of muscle architecture (muscle size, pennation angle, fascicle length)
• Muscle-tendon mechanical properties
• Specific tension of human skeletal muscles
• Muscle-tendon behavior during isometric and dynamic contractions
• Muscle-tendon behavior during exercise (e.g. walking and jumping)

Simulations in Biomechanics

K. Gruber (D); Sunday, July 8, 09:30-11:30

Computer simulation is a strong tool in biomechanics. It is used and developed for the investigation of various problems. Essential components are the external forces acting on the human body and the analysis of forces and torques within. The main goal is to understand movement as a whole and how it is influenced by each component.

In a first part, the possibilities and methods for measuring biomechanical quantities are presented, and the problems which arise by using them for computer simulations are discussed. In a second part, it is demonstrated how various models for computer simulation can be developed in dependence on the relevant biomechanical question. Inverse dynamics, direct simulation with feedback and control mechanisms together with possibilities for validation are discussed.

Finally, various two and three dimensional models with different methods for the direct simulation are presented as tools for the treatment of the corresponding questions. For the investigation of impact movements, a planar five-segmented model with wobbling masses is discussed, with which the control is effected by an algorithm for building up torques in the joints. Simultaneously, the ground reaction force is described via a relation between the force, the deformation and the deformation velocity. A further model is used to discuss the influence of the ground reaction force. For the investigation of human walking, a two-dimensional model with 14 muscles at each leg together with the controlling hypothesis is presented as well as a three-dimensional configured model. The possibility of very detailed modelling of a part of the body is demonstrated by the simulation of the cervical spine.

Computational Dynamics of the Locomotor Syste

Jean H. Heegaard (Stanford, USA); Sunday, July 8, 2001, 13.00 - 15.00

This tutorial will review recent advances in computer methods to formulate and solve locomotion biomechanics problems. Challenging problems including stability, contact, impact, and control will be discussed in connection with efficient computer methods to solve the underlying equations. The first part of the lecture will present an overview of multibody dynamics of the human musculoskeletal system. The second part will deal with numerical methods used to solve the equations of motion.

The objective of this tutorial is to provide students with a concise but rigorous overview of analytical dynamics needed to build computer models of the musculoskeletal system. Applications range from surgery simulation to motion synthesis of virtual actors. Motion of the skeletal system is considered from a multibody standpoint. Kinematics variables commonly used to parameterize the motion of the musculoskeletal system will be presented. Efficient methods to generate the equations of motion and associated numerical integrators will then be discussed.

The lecture will conclude with a brief overview of possible future directions in computational musculoskeletal biomechanics research such as the merging of multibody simulations with finite element models or efficient optimal control algorithm will be briefly discussed.

Shoulder Biomechanics

H.E.J. Veeger & F.C.T. van der Helm (NL); Sunday, July 8, 13.00 - 15.00

Biomechanical research focusing on the human shoulder complex has long been hampered by the complexity of its motions, which can not be simplified to planar movements. In addition, the scapula can not easily be tracked in-vivo, especially under dynamic conditions. As a consequence, one of the major inputs for musculoskeletal modelling, the kinematic information is highly difficult to obtain.

As a result, the development of models and the interpretation of shoulder function have been relatively neglected areas of research. Over the last decade, however, researchers developed increasing interest in biomechanical analyses of the upper extremity.

This tutorial is especially meant for colleagues who intend to expand their research towards the area of the shoulder and for those who are interested in a general overview of the state of the art in large-scale musculoskeletal modelling of the upper extremity.

In this tutorial we intend to present:

1. An introduction to procedures for the collection of kinematic input. Although measurement procedures will be illustrated on the basis of the use of an electromagnetic system, these procedures have also been applied for opto-electronic devices;
2. a description of the proposed standardisation for description and analysis of shoulder data;
3. an overview of the major pitfalls and possibilities related to the use of a large-scale musculoskeletal model of the shoulder;
4. Discussion of (aspects of) shoulder mechanics, co-ordination and control.

Material included in this course will be some example protocols, and relevant software for data processing (based on Matlab^TM).