Virtual Stiffness: A Novel Biomechanical Approach to Estimate Limb Stiffness of a Multi-Muscle and Multi-Joint System.

In recent years, different groups have developed algorithms to control the stiffness of a robotic device through the electromyographic activity collected from a human operator. However, the approaches proposed so far require an initial calibration, have a complex subject-specific muscle model, or consider the activity of only a few pairs of antagonist muscles. This study described and tested an approach based on a biomechanical model to estimate the limb stiffness of a multi-joint, multi-muscle system from muscle activations.

Identification of the best strategy to command variable stiffness using electromyographic signals.

Objective: In the last decades, many EMG-controlled robotic devices were developed. Since stiffness control may be required to perform skillful interactions, different groups developed devices whose stiffness is real-time controlled based on EMG signal samples collected from the operator. However, this control strategy may be fatiguing.

Wearable Inertial Sensors to Assess Standing Balance: A Systematic Review.

Wearable sensors are de facto revolutionizing the assessment of standing balance. The aim of this work is to review the state-of-the-art literature that adopts this new posturographic paradigm, i.e.

Design and Test of a Biomechanical Model for the Estimation of Knee Joint Angle During Indoor Rowing: Implications for FES-Rowing Protocols in Paraplegia.

Functional electrical stimulation of lower limb muscles during rowing provides a means for the cardiovascular conditioning in paraplegia. The possibility of shaping stimulation profiles according to changes in knee angle, so far conceived as changes in seat position, may help circumventing open issues associated with muscle fatigue and movement coordination. Here, we present a subject-specific biomechanical model for the estimation of knee joint angle during indoor rowing.

Multibody modelling of ligamentous and bony stabilizers in the human elbow.

Unlabelled: The elbow ligamentous and bony structures play essential roles in the joint stability. Nevertheless, the contribution of different structures to joint stability is not yet clear and a comprehensive experimental investigation into the ligament and osseous constraints changes in relation to joint motions would be uphill and somehow unattainable, due to the impossibility of obtaining all the possible configurations on the same specimen. Therefore, a predictive tool of the joint behavior after the loss of retentive structures would be helpful in designing reconstructive surgeries and in pre-operative planning.

Analysis of the pushing phase in Paralympic cross-country sit-skiers - Class LW10.

Paralympic Cross-Country sit-skiers use adaptive equipment, with a resulting gesture similar to double poling techniques adopted by able-bodied skiers. Despite the similarity, a specific attention on the gesture performed by sit-skiers is needed. The paper focuses on the sledge kinematic and on inertia effect of upper body motion which is translated in a propulsive effect in the early stage of the pushing cycle.

Evaluation of functional methods for human movement modelling.

Purpose: accurate assessment of human joint parameters is a critical issue for the quantitative movement analysis, due to a direct influence on motion patterns. In this study three different known functional methods are experimentally compared to identify knee joint kinematics for further gait and motion analysis purposes.

Methods: taking into account the human knee physiology complexity, within its roto-translation, the study is conducted on a lower limb mechanical analogue with a polycentric hinge-based kinematic model.

A biomechanical approach to paralympic cross-country sit-ski racing.

Objective: To analyze the biomechanics of the double poling (DP) gesture in cross-country disabled sit-skiers in the field during competition.

Design: Cross-sectional research.

Setting: One-kilometer sprint race, Winter Paralympic Games, Vancouver 2010, Canada.

Evaluation of the factors affecting the optimal fiducial configurations calculated through a genetic-algorithm-based methodology in image-guided neurosurgery.

Background: Image-guided neurosurgery usually involves a point-pair registration between two spaces, associating the patient in the operating room with pre-operative image scans. The distribution and number of fiducial markers during registration are critical for the expected error at the target point.

Methods: A genetic algorithm has been designed to provide an optimal marker configuration.