Lower Limb Torque Prediction for Sit-To-Walk Strategies Using Long Short-Term Memory Neural Networks.

Joint torque prediction is crucial when investigating biomechanics, evaluating treatments, and designing powered assistive devices. Controllers in assistive technology require reference torque trajectories to set the level of assistance for a patient during rehabilitation or when aiding essential daily tasks such as sit-to-walk (STW). STW itself can be generalized into strategies based on individual needs and movement patterns.

A Motion Capture Dataset on Human Sitting to Walking Transitions.

Sit-to-walk (STW) is a crucial daily task that impacts mobility, independence, and thus quality of life. Existing repositories have limited STW data with small sample sizes (n = 10). Hence, this study presents a STW dataset obtained via the time-up-and-go test, for 65 healthy adults across three age groups - young (19-35 years), middle (36-55 years) and older (above 56 years).

Heat literacy and adaptation among semi-rural community in Malaysia.

Background: Heatwaves present health risks globally but there is limited evidence on how temperature perceptions affect activities. This study aimed to examine community perceptions of heat as a potential health hazard and ascertain the current heat protection measures of the residents of the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) in Malaysia.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, we randomly selected community members aged between 18 and 70 years who resided in Segamat district of Johor state, Malaysia.

Sit-to-walk strategy classification in healthy adults using hip and knee joint angles at gait initiation.

Forward continuation, balance, and sit-to-stand-and-walk (STSW) are three common movement strategies during sit-to-walk (STW) executions. Literature identifies these strategies through biomechanical parameters using gold standard laboratory equipment, which is expensive, bulky, and requires significant post-processing. STW strategy becomes apparent at gait-initiation (GI) and the hip/knee are primary contributors in STW, therefore, this study proposes to use the hip/knee joint angles at GI as an alternate method of strategy classification.

Simulation of passive exotendon assistive device for agricultural harvesting task.

This study proposes and investigates the feasibility of the passive assistive device to assist agricultural harvesting task and reduce the Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) risk of harvesters using computational musculoskeletal modelling and simulations. Several passive assistive devices comprised of elastic exotendon, which acts in parallel with different back muscles (rectus abdominis, longissimus, and iliocostalis), were designed and modelled. These passive assistive devices were integrated individually into the musculoskeletal model to provide passive support for the harvesting task.

Estimation of Lower Extremity Muscle Activity in Gait Using the Wearable Inertial Measurement Units and Neural Network.

The inertial measurement unit (IMU) has become more prevalent in gait analysis. However, it can only measure the kinematics of the body segment it is attached to. Muscle behaviour is an important part of gait analysis and provides a more comprehensive overview of gait quality.

Postural Control and Adaptation Strategy of Young Adults on Unstable Surface.

Balance control is essential for postural adjustment in physical activities. This study investigates the behavior of human postural control and the coordination and adaptation strategy of hip, knee, and ankle when standing on an unstable surface. Twenty participants were recruited.

Musculoskeletal Gait Simulation to Investigate Biomechanical Effect of Knee Brace.

Musculoskeletal modeling and simulation have been an emerging trend in human gait analysis. It allows the user to isolate certain biomechanical conditions and elucidate the dynamics of joints and muscles. This study used an open-source musculoskeletal modeling and simulation tool, opensim to investigate the biomechanical effect of knee brace.

Musculoskeletal modelling and simulation of oil palm fresh fruit bunch harvesting.

Oil palm harvesting is a labor-intensive activity and yet it was rarely investigated. Studies showed that complementing human motion analysis with musculoskeletal modelling and simulation can provide valuable information about the dynamics of the joints and muscles. Therefore, this study aims to be the first to create and evaluate an upper extremity musculoskeletal model of the oil palm harvesting motion and to assess the associated Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) risk.

Gamification and Control of Nitinol Based Ankle Rehabilitation Robot.

Conventional ankle rehabilitation exercises can be monotonous and repetitive. The use of robots and games can complement the existing practices, provide an engaging environment for the patient and alleviate the physiotherapist's workload. This paper presents an ankle rehabilitation robot that uses two nitinol wire actuators and a Pong game to provide foot plantarflexion and dorsiflexion exercises.

Quantification of muscles activations and joints range of motions during oil palm fresh fruit bunch harvesting and loose fruit collection.

Although global demand for palm oil has been increasing, most activities in the oil palm plantations still rely heavily on manual labour, which includes fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting and loose fruit (LF) collection. As a result, harvesters and/or collectors face ergonomic risks resulting in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) due to awkward, extreme and repetitive posture during their daily work routines. Traditionally, indirect approaches were adopted to assess these risks using a survey or manual visual observations.

Muscles Affecting Minimum Toe Clearance.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the anterior and posterior muscles in the shank (), influence the level of minimum toe clearance (MTC). With aging, MTC deteriorates thus, greatly increasing the probability of falling or tripping. This could result in injury or even death.

The effects of mechanical noise bandwidth on balance across flat and compliant surfaces.

Although the application of sub-sensory mechanical noise to the soles of the feet has been shown to enhance balance, there has been no study on how the bandwidth of the noise affects balance. Here, we report a single-blind randomized controlled study on the effects of a narrow and wide bandwidth mechanical noise on healthy young subjects' sway during quiet standing on firm and compliant surfaces. For the firm surface, there was no improvement in balance for both bandwidths-this may be because the young subjects could already balance near-optimally or optimally on the surface by themselves.

Joint angle estimation with wavelet neural networks.

This paper presents a wavelet neural network (WNN) based method to reduce reliance on wearable kinematic sensors in gait analysis. Wearable kinematic sensors hinder real-time outdoor gait monitoring applications due to drawbacks caused by multiple sensor placements and sensor offset errors. The proposed WNN method uses vertical Ground Reaction Forces (vGRFs) measured from foot kinetic sensors as inputs to estimate ankle, knee, and hip joint angles.

The effect of asymmetrical gait induced by unilateral knee brace on the knee flexor and extensor muscles.

Asymmetrical stiff knee gait is a mechanical pathology that can disrupt lower extremity muscle coordination. A better understanding of this condition can help identify potential complications. This study proposes the use of dynamic musculoskeletal modelling simulation to investigate the effect of induced mechanical perturbation on the kneeand to examine the muscle behaviour without invasive technique.

Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis and Severity Assessment Using Ground Reaction Forces and Neural Networks.

Gait analysis plays a key role in the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease (PD), as patients generally exhibit abnormal gait patterns compared to healthy controls. Current diagnosis and severity assessment procedures entail manual visual examinations of motor tasks, speech, and handwriting, among numerous other tests, which can vary between clinicians based on their expertise and visual observation of gait tasks. Automating gait differentiation procedure can serve as a useful tool in early diagnosis and severity assessment of PD and limits the data collection to solely walking gait.

The influence of different solid-liquid ratios on the thermophilic anaerobic digestion performance of palm oil mill effluent (POME).

An alternative method was proposed to optimize the treatment process of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in an effort to address the poor removal efficiencies in terms of the chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD), total suspended solids (TSS) as well as oil and grease (O&G) content in treated POME along with many environmental issues associated with the existing POME treatment process. The elimination of the cooling ponds and the insertion of a dewatering device in the treatment process were recommended. The dewatering device should enhance the anaerobic digestion process by conferring a means of control on the digesters' load.

Moving toward Soft Robotics: A Decade Review of the Design of Hand Exoskeletons.

Soft robotics is a branch of robotics that deals with mechatronics and electromechanical systems primarily made of soft materials. This paper presents a summary of a chronicle study of various soft robotic hand exoskeletons, with different electroencephalography (EEG)- and electromyography (EMG)-based instrumentations and controls, for rehabilitation and assistance in activities of daily living. A total of 45 soft robotic hand exoskeletons are reviewed.

Estimation of vertical ground reaction force during running using neural network model and uniaxial accelerometer.

Wearable technology has been viewed as one of the plausible alternatives to capture human motion in an unconstrained environment, especially during running. However, existing methods require kinematic and kinetic measurements of human body segments and can be complicated. This paper investigates the use of neural network model (NN) and accelerometer to estimate vertical ground reaction force (VGRF).

Design and development of platform ankle rehabilitation robot with Shape Memory Alloy based actuator.

Various ankle rehabilitation robots have been developed in the recent decade to improve ankle strength and mobility and to alleviate the burdens on clinicians and physiotherapists. However, existing designs have stiff actuating mechanism, heavy and bulky electromagnetic or pneumatic actuators. This paper introduces ankle rehabilitation robot that utilizes Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire actuator to provide foot plantarflexion and dorsiflexion during rehabilitation exercise.

Developing interactive and simple electromyogram PONG game for foot dorsiflexion and plantarflexion rehabilitation exercise.

Gaming systems have been proven to be able to improve physical and cognitive skills. Several studies have integrated games to be part of rehabilitation program to improve functional ability of human limbs in performing activities of daily living. This paper presents the development of an interactive electromyogram (EMG) based PONG game for foot dorsifexion and plantarflexion exercise.

A review on the mechanical design elements of ankle rehabilitation robot.

Ankle rehabilitation robots are developed to enhance ankle strength, flexibility and proprioception after injury and to promote motor learning and ankle plasticity in patients with drop foot. This article reviews the design elements that have been incorporated into the existing robots, for example, backdrivability, safety measures and type of actuation. It also discusses numerous challenges faced by engineers in designing this robot, including robot stability and its dynamic characteristics, universal evaluation criteria to assess end-user comfort, safety and training performance and the scientific basis on the optimal rehabilitation strategies to improve ankle condition.

A robust real-time gait event detection using wireless gyroscope and its application on normal and altered gaits.

Gait events detection allows clinicians and biomechanics researchers to determine timing of gait events, to estimate duration of stance phase and swing phase and to segment gait data. It also aids biomedical engineers to improve the design of orthoses and FES (functional electrical stimulation) systems. In recent years, researchers have resorted to using gyroscopes to determine heel-strike (HS) and toe-off (TO) events in gait cycles.

Wireless gyroscope suit for gait stability estimation.

Gait stability is primary in assessing individuals with high risk of falling, particularly the elderly. Custom made self-adjustable wireless gyroscope suit is used as a sensing device to quantify gait stability. A nonlinear time series analysis i.