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1
Kavanagh, Justin, and n/a. "Dynamic Stability of the Upper Body During Walking." Griffith University. School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, 2006. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070219.172055.
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The general purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence acceleration characteristics of the upper body during walking, thereby clarifying the means by which the postural system facilitates dynamic stability of the upper body during walking. Upper body accelerations were measured during a range of straight-line walking tasks. Time domain, frequency domain, signal regularity and coupling analyses were used to 1) provide new insight into gait-related upper body accelerations during walking in normal healthy adults, and 2) determine how the postural system accommodates to perturbations that challenge upper body stability during walking. The specific perturbations to the postural system that were examined in the present study were the normal ageing process, changes in walking speed, and fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae. In general, the patterns of accelerations measured at the level of the head were an attenuated version of those at the lower trunk during normal walking. Power spectral analysis revealed that both the head and lower trunk in the anterior-posterior (AP) and vertical directions (VT) directions were characterised by a single peak frequency corresponding the step frequency during normal walking. However, the most notable of all attenuation profiles was the difference between accelerations of the head and lower trunk in the mediolateral (ML) direction. ML trunk accelerations were characterised by multiple low amplitude frequency peaks, which were attenuated to a single peak at the head corresponding to stride frequency. The coupling between acceleration directions was greater for the head than the lower trunk, suggesting that the postural system promotes a coordination strategy which enhances global stability of the head. Subdividing the upper body into neck and trunk segments facilitated a more comprehensive description how the gait-related oscillations are prevented from impacting on the motion of the head. Overall, acceleration amplitude, power content, and regularity were predominantly regulated by the trunk segment, especially for the AP and ML directions. This suggests that the trunk segment plays a critical role in modulating the amplitude and structure of gait-related oscillations prior to reaching the neck segment and thus the head. It was envisaged that examining factors that may challenge the individual (the normal ageing process), and the walking task (changes in walking speed, and induced fatigue of the upper body), would provide new insight into the extent to which the postural system prioritises head stability during walking. Regardless of the challenges imposed on the postural system due to the ageing process, upper body movement was organised in a manner which assisted in maintaining a degree of head stability comparable to those observed under normal walking conditions. Similarly, the importance that the postural system places on maintaining head stability was evident in the attenuation characteristics of the trunk and neck segments when walking speed was manipulated, and neuromuscular fatigue induced. Manipulating walking speed highlighted the critical role that the trunk segment has in regulating upper body accelerations arising from gait-related events. Aside from a minor contribution from the neck segment in the direction of travel at preferred and fast walking speeds, regulation of accelerations occurred due to the dynamics of the trunk segment. Inducing neuromuscular fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae groups (CES and LES) revealed compensatory movement strategies of the upper body, with a view of enhancing head stability. For several variables quantifying attenuation, fatiguing one muscle group, such as the CES, resulted in changes in the dynamics of another level of the upper body, such as the trunk segment. The trunk segment was particularly dominant in regulating upper body accelerations under fatigued conditions, further reinforcing the importance to control accelerations prior to reaching the neck and head. Overall, the results of this study suggest that optimal head stability is reliant on the trunk segment providing a stable base of support for the neck and head. By regulating accelerations via the trunk segment, the postural system is effectively regulating the orientation of the neck and head, and the inclusive sensory organs. It was evident that the postural system prioritises, and in general, maintains head stability during walking despite challenges imposed on upper body stability.
2
Kavanagh, Justin. "Dynamic Stability of the Upper Body During Walking." Thesis, Griffith University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365494.
Full textAbstract:
The general purpose of this study was to examine factors that may influence acceleration characteristics of the upper body during walking, thereby clarifying the means by which the postural system facilitates dynamic stability of the upper body during walking. Upper body accelerations were measured during a range of straight-line walking tasks. Time domain, frequency domain, signal regularity and coupling analyses were used to 1) provide new insight into gait-related upper body accelerations during walking in normal healthy adults, and 2) determine how the postural system accommodates to perturbations that challenge upper body stability during walking. The specific perturbations to the postural system that were examined in the present study were the normal ageing process, changes in walking speed, and fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae. In general, the patterns of accelerations measured at the level of the head were an attenuated version of those at the lower trunk during normal walking. Power spectral analysis revealed that both the head and lower trunk in the anterior-posterior (AP) and vertical directions (VT) directions were characterised by a single peak frequency corresponding the step frequency during normal walking. However, the most notable of all attenuation profiles was the difference between accelerations of the head and lower trunk in the mediolateral (ML) direction. ML trunk accelerations were characterised by multiple low amplitude frequency peaks, which were attenuated to a single peak at the head corresponding to stride frequency. The coupling between acceleration directions was greater for the head than the lower trunk, suggesting that the postural system promotes a coordination strategy which enhances global stability of the head. Subdividing the upper body into neck and trunk segments facilitated a more comprehensive description how the gait-related oscillations are prevented from impacting on the motion of the head. Overall, acceleration amplitude, power content, and regularity were predominantly regulated by the trunk segment, especially for the AP and ML directions. This suggests that the trunk segment plays a critical role in modulating the amplitude and structure of gait-related oscillations prior to reaching the neck segment and thus the head. It was envisaged that examining factors that may challenge the individual (the normal ageing process), and the walking task (changes in walking speed, and induced fatigue of the upper body), would provide new insight into the extent to which the postural system prioritises head stability during walking. Regardless of the challenges imposed on the postural system due to the ageing process, upper body movement was organised in a manner which assisted in maintaining a degree of head stability comparable to those observed under normal walking conditions. Similarly, the importance that the postural system places on maintaining head stability was evident in the attenuation characteristics of the trunk and neck segments when walking speed was manipulated, and neuromuscular fatigue induced. Manipulating walking speed highlighted the critical role that the trunk segment has in regulating upper body accelerations arising from gait-related events. Aside from a minor contribution from the neck segment in the direction of travel at preferred and fast walking speeds, regulation of accelerations occurred due to the dynamics of the trunk segment. Inducing neuromuscular fatigue of the cervical and lumbar erector spinae groups (CES and LES) revealed compensatory movement strategies of the upper body, with a view of enhancing head stability. For several variables quantifying attenuation, fatiguing one muscle group, such as the CES, resulted in changes in the dynamics of another level of the upper body, such as the trunk segment. The trunk segment was particularly dominant in regulating upper body accelerations under fatigued conditions, further reinforcing the importance to control accelerations prior to reaching the neck and head. Overall, the results of this study suggest that optimal head stability is reliant on the trunk segment providing a stable base of support for the neck and head. By regulating accelerations via the trunk segment, the postural system is effectively regulating the orientation of the neck and head, and the inclusive sensory organs. It was evident that the postural system prioritises, and in general, maintains head stability during walking despite challenges imposed on upper body stability.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science
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3
Buckley, Christopher. "Upper body accelerations as a biomarker of gait impairment in the early stages of Parkinson's disease." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2017. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/19779/.
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Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) impair the ability to walk safely and efficiently. Currently, clinical rating scales designed to assess gait are often described to be subjective and lacking sensitivity to detect gait impairments at the early stage of the disease. Devices are available to objectively measure gait within research laboratories; however, they are often expensive and require trained expertise. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) may be an ideal device to measure gait while overcoming many of the limitations of other devices. They can measure movements of the upper body, which in PD is known to be impaired, and therefore may enable the calculation of a variety of acceleration based variables better capable to quantify impaired gait in PD. This thesis aimed to determine the ability of a variety of acceleration based variables obtained from different location of the upper body to detect movements symptomatic to PD from age matched controls. Variables yet to be applied to PD were tested and methodological reasons for why differing results found in the literature was analysed, in an attempt to develop a refined methodology specific to PD. Acceleration based variables were tested relative to, and combined with, variables obtained from a 7m pressure sensitive mat. It was tested whether these variables bring additional information about a patient's gait or if they are merely a reflection of lower limb mechanics, and, whether they can classify PD gait independently or in combination with a pre-existing spatiotemporal model of gait. Results showed that for a large population of people with early stage PD, upper body acceleration variables not previously applied to PD were capable to highlight gait impairments. However, attention must be made to the processing of the acceleration signals as the method used to realign signals to a global reference can significantly impact a variable's sensitivity to PD. Lastly, it was shown that the majority of upper body acceleration variables are unique from typically measured spatiotemporal information, and when using a multivariate approach, were equally capable to highlight gait impairment in PD. This thesis therefore proposes that variables calculated from the upper body using IMUs can be useful biomarkers of gait impairment at the early stage of PD, and if possible, should be used in conjunction with traditional approaches.
4
Carlén, Eriksson Lennie, and Willners Jonatan Scharff. "Body Area Network with Gait Symmetry Analyses." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-28353.
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Smart portable devices is increasing in popularity in many fields. In motion tracking many devices have been created in the last years as a help in motivation and observation for training. Most of them is for tracking distance moved, heart-rate and some more basic functions. For deeper analyses in motion tracking a more advanced system is needed. The system needs to be small and light to not influence the movement of the subject in a negative way. It should preferably be cheap. Two other factors is that the system needs to be easy to use, both in the interface and deployment. Symmetry in motion is an key-element to effective use of energy. Measuring the symmetry in gait should then help to improve motion. This could be used as a tool for more efficient training or to faster recover from an injury. For a stroke-patient this could perhaps decrease the time of rehabilitation and remind the patient to move one leg. To create this, a reliable communication between a data sink and sensor nodes has been developed. The sensor nodes is gathering nine dimensions IMU data, accelerometer, gyroscopes and magnetometer, each in three dimensions. The data is saved to a database where it can be extracted for further analyses. Testing of the script language for Bluetooth devices, BGScript for time synchronisation has been done to see if it is able to use for frequencies high enough for a system to measure movement.
5
Scharff, Willners Jonatan. "Body Area Network with Gait Symmetry Analyses." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Inbyggda system, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-28306.
Full textAbstract:
Smart portable devices is increasing in popularity in many fields. In motion tracking many devices have been created in the last years as a help in motivation and observation for training. Most of them is for tracking distance moved, heart-rate and some more basic functions. For deeper analyses in motion tracking a more advanced system is needed. The system needs to be small and light to not influence the movement of the subject in a negative way. It should preferably be cheap. Two other factors is that the system needs to be easy to use, both in the interface and deployment. Symmetry in motion is an key-element to effective use of energy. Measuring the symmetry in gait should then help to improve motion. This could be used as a tool for more efficient training or to faster recover from an injury. For a stroke-patient this could perhaps decrease the time of rehabilitation and remind the patient to move one leg. To create this, a reliable communication between a data sink and sensor nodes has been developed. The sensor nodes is gathering nine dimensions IMU data, accelerometer, gyroscopes and magnetometer, each in three dimensions. The data is saved to a database where it can be extracted for further analyses. Testing of the script language for Bluetooth devices, BGScript for time synchronisation has been done to see if it is able to use for frequencies high enough for a system to measure movement.
6
Opila, K. A. "Impulse characteristics and upper limb loadings of aided gait." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.372120.
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Cloete, Teunis. "Benchmarking full-body inertial motion capture for clinical gait analysis." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2922.
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MScEngThesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
Clinical gait analysis has been proven to greatly improve treatment planning and monitoring of patients suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Despite this fact, it was found that gait analysis is still largely underutilised in general patient-care due to limitations of gait measurement equipment. Inertial motion capture (IMC) is able to overcome many of these limitations, but this technology is relatively untested and is therefore viewed as adolescent. This study addresses this problem by evaluating the validity and repeatability of gait parameters measured with a commercially available, full-body IMC system by comparing the results to those obtained with alternative methods of motion capture. The IMC system’s results were compared to a trusted optical motion capture (OMC) system’s results to evaluate validity. The results show that the measurements for the hip and knee obtained with IMC compares well with those obtained using OMC – with coefficient-of-correlation (R) values as high as 0.99. Some discrepancies were identified in the ankle-joint validity results. These were attributed to differences between the two systems with regard to the definition of ankle joint and to non-ideal IMC system foot-sensor design. The repeatability, using the IMC system, was quantified using the coefficient of variance (CV), the coefficient of multiple determination (CMD) and the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC). Results show that IMC-recorded gait patterns have high repeatability for within-day tests (CMD: 0.786-0.984; CMC: 0.881-0.992) and between-day tests (CMD: 0.771-0.991; CMC: 0.872-0.995). These results compare well with those from similar studies done using OMC and electromagnetic motion capture (EMC), especially when comparing between-day results. Finally, to evaluate the measurements from the IMC system in a clinically useful application, a neural network was employed to distinguish between gait strides of stroke patients and those of able-bodied controls. The network proved to be very successful with a repeatable accuracy of 99.4% (1/166 misclassified). The study concluded that the full-body IMC system produces sufficiently valid and repeatable gait data to be used in clinical gait analysis, but that further refinement of the ankle-joint definition and improvements to the foot sensor are required.
8
Rietdyk, Shirley. "Postural responses to unexpected multidirectional upper body perturbations." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape7/PQDD_0004/NQ44780.pdf.
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Delbridge, Andrew. "The physiological effects of fatiguing upper body exercise." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.240428.
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Dube, Chioniso. "Imitating human motion using humanoid upper body models." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11927.
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Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.
This thesis investigates human motion imitation of five different humanoid upper bodies (comprised of the torso and upper limbs) using human dance motion as a case study. The humanoid models are based on five existing humanoids, namely, ARMAR, HRP-2, SURALP, WABIAN-2, and WE-4RII. These humanoids are chosen for their different structures and range of joint motion.
11
Lorenzen, Hans Christian, and res cand@acu edu au. "The Response of Elderly Female Fast Gait to Whole Body Vibration." Australian Catholic University. School of Exercise Science, 2007. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp154.30052008.
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Background: Older adults walk more slowly than healthy young adults at fast and normal walking speeds. These age-associated changes in mobility impact upon daily function. A slower gait, for example, may reduce the older adult’s ability to safely cross at traffic intersections due to the time restriction. Recent research has demonstrated whole body vibration (WBV) can improve the strength and power (Roelants, Delecluse & Verschueren, 2004; Russo et al., 2003; Verschueren, Roelants, Delecluse, Swinnen, Vanderschueren & Boonen, 2004) of community dwelling elderly females, and the mobility of nursing home residents (Bautmans, Van Hees, Lemper & Mets, 2005; Bruyere et al., 2005). To date, no published research has examined the impact WBV has on the gait parameters of community dwelling elderly females. The research was conducted in three phases. Phase One – Development of a WBV Platform: This phase outlines the development of a WBV platform (ACUWBV) that was designed and built for this research. A unique aspect of the ACUWBV was the method of adjusting WBV amplitude and therefore intensity. Current WBV technology, using tilting oscillations, requires the individual to increase their stance width. The ACUWBV allowed for the adjustment of WBV amplitude while maintaining the same stance width. The reliability and accuracy of the ACUWBV eccentric cam was measured during this phase of the research. Although an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.4 was calculated and is considered an indication of low reliability, calculations of typical error (TE -95% error range) for each amplitude indicated the error to be small in the overall precision of the instrument. Specifically, at a frequency of 20 Hz, the expected WBV acceleration ranges for amplitudes of 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm were 7.58 m.s-2 to 8.85 m.s-2 (TE = 0.02 mm) and 16.90 m.s-2 to 17.53 m.s.-2 (TE = 0.01 mm), respectively. Phase Two – Pilot Study: This phase established the response of elderly community-dwelling female fast gait to WBV. Seven elderly female participants attended three WBV sessions per week for three weeks. Participants performed fast walks over an electronic walkway (GAITRite) at the end of each WBV session. A time-series graph displayed a linear increase in stride velocity over the three week intervention period. Conversely, stride time, stance time and double support time exhibited linear decreases. However, stride time (p=0.04) and stance time (p=0.04) were the only variables that exhibited a significant difference. It was concluded that the linear changes in stride velocity, stride time, stance time and double support time warranted further investigation with a larger sample size within a longer intervention period. Phase Three – Major Study: Phase three was an extension of phase two. This WBV intervention study was performed over a twelve week period. Twenty-two elderly female participants were placed in one of two groups. Group one (placebo/WBV; Group; n=12) was exposed to a placebo intervention for the first six weeks followed by a six week WBV intervention. Group two (Group WBV/placebo; n=10) was exposed to WBV for the first six weeks and a placebo intervention for the following six weeks. Group placebo/WBV exhibited no change in stride velocity during the placebo period, but a seven per cent increase during the six week WBV period (p=0.005). The changes in stride velocity coincided with increases in stride length (p=0.017), and reductions in stride time (p=0.007), stance time (p=0.001) and double support time (p=0.001). Group WBV/Placebo demonstrated stride velocity to increase by five per cent during the WBV period. Although the time-series graphs demonstrated improvements in stride velocity to be associated with decreases in stride time, stance time, and double support time, the changes failed to reach significance. Single support time and stride length showed no change over the WBV period. The improvements shown by group WBV/placebo from the first six weeks of WBV were maintained during the six week placebo (detraining) period. In summary, WBV was an effective intervention for enhancing the walking speed of community dwelling elderly female gait. This form of exercise may have positive outcomes on the daily function of elderly females, which in turn may improve their quality of life.
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Lorenzen, Hans Christian. "The response of elderly female fast gait to whole body vibration." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2007. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/c5fa8d4e70ad9c33494645da4657a0d2520308fc4e18f88724b73e68e5550669/1644250/64968_downloaded_stream_193.pdf.
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Background: Older adults walk more slowly than healthy young adults at fast and normal walking speeds. These age-associated changes in mobility impact upon daily function. A slower gait, for example, may reduce the older adult's ability to safely cross at traffic intersections due to the time restriction. Recent research has demonstrated whole body vibration (WBV) can improve the strength and power (Roelants, Delecluse & Verschueren, 2004; Russo et al., 2003; Verschueren, Roelants, Delecluse, Swinnen, Vanderschueren & Boonen, 2004) of community dwelling elderly females, and the mobility of nursing home residents (Bautmans, Van Hees, Lemper & Mets, 2005; Bruyere et al., 2005). To date, no published research has examined the impact WBV has on the gait parameters of community dwelling elderly females. The research was conducted in three phases.
13
Burke, Michael Glen. "Fast upper body pose estimation for human-robot interaction." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/256305.
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This work describes an upper body pose tracker that finds a 3D pose estimate using video sequences obtained from a monocular camera, with applications in human-robot interaction in mind. A novel mixture of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes model, trained in a reduced dimensional subspace and designed for analytical tractability, is introduced. This model acts as a collection of mean-reverting random walks that pull towards more commonly observed poses. Pose tracking using this model can be Rao-Blackwellised, allowing for computational efficiency while still incorporating bio-mechanical properties of the upper body. The model is used within a recursive Bayesian framework to provide reliable estimates of upper body pose when only a subset of body joints can be detected. Model training data can be extended through a retargeting process, and better pose coverage obtained through the use of Poisson disk sampling in the model training stage. Results on a number of test datasets show that the proposed approach provides pose estimation accuracy comparable with the state of the art in real time (30 fps) and can be extended to the multiple user case. As a motivating example, this work also introduces a pantomimic gesture recognition interface. Traditional approaches to gesture recognition for robot control make use of predefined codebooks of gestures, which are mapped directly to the robot behaviours they are intended to elicit. These gesture codewords are typically recognised using algorithms trained on multiple recordings of people performing the predefined gestures. Obtaining these recordings can be expensive and time consuming, and the codebook of gestures may not be particularly intuitive. This thesis presents arguments that pantomimic gestures, which mimic the intended robot behaviours directly, are potentially more intuitive, and proposes a transfer learning approach to recognition, where human hand gestures are mapped to recordings of robot behaviour by extracting temporal and spatial features that are inherently present in both pantomimed actions and robot behaviours. A Bayesian bias compensation scheme is introduced to compensate for potential classification bias in features. Results from a quadrotor behaviour selection problem show that good classification accuracy can be obtained when human hand gestures are recognised using behaviour recordings, and that classification using these behaviour recordings is more robust than using human hand recordings when users are allowed complete freedom over their choice of input gestures.
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Jones, Davon I. "Upper versus Lower Body Contribution to the Rowing Stroke." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1323968844.
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Tiller, Nicholas B. "Respiratory mechanics during upper body exercise in healthy humans." Thesis, Brunel University, 2014. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/11551.
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The physiological responses to upper-body exercise (UBE) are well established. Few published studies, however, have attempted to elucidate the mechanical ventilatory responses to UBE. There is empirical evidence that respiratory function may be compromised by UBE during which the ventilatory and postural functions of the ‘respiratory’ muscles may be exacerbated. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were: 1) to characterise the mechanical-ventilatory responses to UBE in healthy subjects; 2) to explore the putative mechanisms that underpin the respiratory responses to UBE; and 3) to assess whether the mechanical-ventilatory stress imposed by UBE induces contractile fatigue of the respiratory muscles. Compared to lower-body exercise (LBE; leg cycling) at ventilation-matched work rates, UBE (arm-cranking) resulted in constraint of tidal volume, higher respiratory frequency, and greater neural drive to the respiratory muscles. Furthermore, end-expiratory lung volume was significantly elevated during peak UBE compared to LBE (39 ± 8 vs. 29 ± 8% vital capacity, p < 0.05) and was independent of expiratory flow limitation. In assessing the influence of cadence on cardiorespiratory function and respiratory mechanics, submaximal arm-cranking at high cadence (90 rev.min-1) induced significantly greater cardiorespiratory stress, a trend towards elevated intra-thoracic pressures and significantly greater perceptions of dyspnoea than at low cadence (50 rev.min-1). Furthermore, there was a greater prevalence of locomotor-respiratory coupling at high cadences (p < 0.05), suggestive of greater antagonistic loading of the thoracic muscles, likely the result of static postural contractions. Finally, there was objective evidence of abdominal muscle contractile fatigue in response to severe- but not heavy-intensity UBE. Specifically, there was a 22% decrease in gastric twitch pressure from pre- to post-exercise in response to magnetic stimulation of the thoracic nerves (p < 0.05). However, there was limited evidence of exercise-induced diaphragm fatigue, as assessed using magnetic stimulation of the phrenic nerves (p > 0.05). In conclusion, mechanical-ventilatory function may be compromised during UBE due to complex interactions between thoracic muscle recruitment, central neural drive and thoracic volume displacement. This thesis presents novel findings which may have important functional implications for clinical populations who report breathlessness during activities of daily living that involve the upper-body, as well as for athletes engaged in upper-body sports.
16
Lura, Derek J. "Modeling upper body kinematics while using a transradial prosthesis." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002751.
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Eggebeen, Joel David. "The effect of upper body strength training on upper extremity function in healthy older adults." Winston-Salem, NC : Wake Forest University, 2009. http://dspace.zsr.wfu.edu/jspui/handle/10339/42475.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Wake Forest University. Dept. of Health and Exercise Science, 2009.Title from electronic thesis title page. Thesis advisor: Anthony P. Marsh. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-73).
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NAGA, SOUMYA. "AN EFFICIENT ALGORITHM FOR CLINICAL MASS CENTER LOCATION OF HUMAN BODY." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1131323551.
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Maslivec, Amy. "Age related changes in the mechanisms contributing to head stabilisation, and whole body stability during steady state gait and gait initiation." Thesis, University of Cumbria, 2018. http://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/3752/.
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Head stabilisation during gait related tasks is thought to be fundamental to whole body stability, but this has received little attention in the older population. There is a need to examine any age related changes in neuromechanical mechanisms underpinning head stabilisation that may challenge the control of head stability, and consequently whole body stability. The present Thesis examined the mechanisms contributing to head stabilisation, and whole body stability during two gait tasks, steady state gait and gait initiation in young and older females, with the overall aim of contributing to negating fall risk. Four studies were designed to examine a) head position and walking speed on gait stability during steady state gait; b) neuromechanical mechanisms underpinning head stabilisation during gait initiation; c) head position on whole body stability during gait initiation; and d) head stabilisation during gait initiation at different speeds. Results showed that a) gait stability, was unaffected by head position and different walking speeds during steady state gait, b) decreased head stability in older individuals during gait initiation can be attributed to a deterioration of the neuromechanical mechanisms relating to head stability, c) free head movement during gait initiation does not affect head stabilisation or whole body stability but it does affect gait parameters, while d) initiating gait at faster than comfortable speeds compromises head stabilisation and reduces whole body stability in older individuals. Collectively, these results demonstrate that older individuals adopt an increased head flexion position when walking, while impaired head stability can be attributed to deterioration of the function of their neuromechanical mechanisms compared to their younger counterparts during gait tasks at comfortable speeds. These findings provide an understanding of the effect head stabilisation can have on older adults’ gait and on their fall risk during gait and gait initiation.
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Jones, J. Kim. "The upper limb during walking : a kinematic model and associated electromyography with reference to the patterns of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation." Thesis, Keele University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341298.
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Thoma, Matthew. "Hammer Strength vs. Free Weights: Upper Body 1 RM Comparisons." TopSCHOLAR®, 2006. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/299.
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Thirty-one trained male subjects performed one-repetition maximum lifts (IRM's) on three Hammer Strength Externally Loaded Machines and three comparable Free Weight Exercises. All tests were counterbalanced and randomly assigned. Subjects performed two 1RM tests during each lab session, with at least 48-72 hours of recovery between each. IRM's were recorded as the greatest amount of weight lifted with proper technique. 1RM data was used to (1) determine the relationship between 1RM performed on Hammer Strength machines versus Free Weights and (2) to develop regression equations that can accurately predict IRM's when switching from one exercise modality to another. Statistics revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between IRM's performed on the Hammer Strength equipment as compared to its counterpart free weight exercise. For all exercises, IRM's were significantly greater/higher on Hammer Strength equipment. Regression equations were developed for all exercises, except when predicting the Hammer Strength shoulder press and the Hammer Strength Preacher Curls from their free weight counterparts, where no variables existed that could significantly predict their respective IRM's.
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Dolan, Lianne B. "Is there enhanced lymphatic function in upper body trained females?" Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/32394.
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Chronic physical activity has been shown to ameliorate various aspects of human
physiology, while specific training can directly influence structural changes. It remains
unknown i f chronic exercise influences upper extremity lymphatic function in females;
thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare different exercise stresses
on lymphatic function in ten upper body trained females (mean (SD): age= 26.9 (SD 4.4)
yrs; ht= 165.0 (SD 11.2) cm; wt= 62.1 (SD 11.8) kg; VO2 = 35.0 (SD 3.2) ml•kg[superscript omitted]-min[superscript omitted])
with ten untrained females (age= 31.0 yrs (SD 6.0); ht= 168.1 (SD 6.5); wt= 69.5 (SD
14.7) kg; V02= 22.2 (SD 4.8) ml•kg[superscript omitted]-min[superscript omitted]). Participants underwent a maximal upper
body aerobic test on an arm crank ergometer before undergoing three randomly assigned
lymphatic stress tests. Lymphoscintigraphy was used to quantify lymphatic function.
[superscript omitted]Tc-antimony colloid was injected into the third web space of each hand followed by 1
minute spot views taken with a γ-radiation camera. Axillary acquisitions occurred at 18
(SD 5) and 64 minutes. The maximal stress test required individuals to repeat their initial
maximal exercise test and then be imaged every 10 minutes until 60 minutes was
reached. The submaximal stress test involved arm cranking for 2.5 minutes at 0.6 W-kg[superscript omitted]
followed by 2.5 minutes of rest, repeated for 60 minutes. The final stress test was a 60
minute seated resting session. The amounts cleared at the hand (AC) and axillary uptake
(Ax) were determined. Four 2X3 ANOVAs were used to test for statistical significance
between the two groups and three lymphatic stress tests. Only Ax post maximal exercise
was significantly different between trained and untrained, p=0.009. All other measures of
lymphatic function between groups were similar. Exercise had a significant impact on
lymphatic function: maximal AC was significantly higher at 10 minutes (p=0.000) while
submaximal AC was significantly higher at 60 minutes, (p=0.000). Compared to rest,
exercise Ax was significantly greater (p=0.000) but the exercise stress, (maximal or
submaximal), Ax at 64 minutes did not significantly differ (p=0.426). This study
demonstrates no significant difference between upper body trained and untrained females
while exercise stress significantly increased Ax and AC.Education, Faculty of
Kinesiology, School of
Graduate
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Taylor, Stuart Andrew. "Critical Power and Anaerobic Work Capacity in Upper Body Exercise." Thesis, Teesside University, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.517580.
Full textAbstract:
This programme of work aimed to explore critical power and anaerobic work capacity in upper body exercise, using models commonly applied to lower body exercise. Sixteen untrained male subjects performed upper body exercise on a modified cycle ergometer. They carried out three habituation bouts and two maximal incremental bouts, which were followed by two sets of five constant power bouts in a randomised order. The results from the second set of constant power bouts were used to compare estimates of critical power and anaerobic work capacity from; the linear work vs. time model, the linear time vs. work model, the linear power vs. Iltime model, the hyperbolic power vs. time model, the exponential model and the three parameter non-linear model. The 3-parameter model provided critical power estimates that were very likely to be less than the other models studied, and values of anaerobic work capacity that were very likely to be greater than all of the other models. The exponential model provided estimates of critical power that were almost certainly greater than all of the other models. This would suggest that the selection of model can have marked and systematic effects on the magnitude of the derived parameters. Results from the two sets of constant power bouts were then used to examine their repeatability, and the repeatability of critical power and anaerobic work capacity derived from the linear work vs. time model (when work or time was identified as the dependent variable), the linear power vs. IItime model and the hyperbolic model. The repeatability of the parameters of the exponential model was also determined. There was evidence of heteroscedastic error in the measurement of time to exhaustion in the constant power bouts with a typical error of 18%. A typical error of critical power of between 5 to 6W was evident in the models studied, whilst a 9% typical percentage error was evident for critical power from the exponential model. The typical error in measures of anaerobic work capacity was 17-24%. The relatively poor repeatability of estimates of critical power and anaerobic work capacity may limit their practical application in identifying a particular exercise intensity and in assessing the effect of training and dietary interventions. The effect on parameter estimates of progressively reducing the number of bouts from five to four, three or two bouts was assessed, using combinations of bouts selected to clarify whether any effect was due to the number or the range of bouts. The effect of using as few as two bouts was assessed for the linear work vs. time model and the linear power vs. 11 • time model. The effect on the hyperbolic power vs. time model of progressively reducing the number of bouts to three was also assessed. Combinations of bouts that included higher power output bouts, tended to elevate critical power estimates and reduce estimates of anaerobic work capacity. Selecting a small number of two or three low intensity bouts tended to reduce critical power estimates and elevate anaerobic work capacity in the models studied. There was a tendency towards a reciprocal effect, whereby if critical power was elevated, anaerobic work capacity was reduced and vice versa. Within models, the effect of reducing the range of constant power bouts appeared to be more marked than the effect of reducing the number of bouts. Critical power is thought to identify a threshold of tolerable duration and physiological response in lower body exercise. To determine whether critical power from the hyperbolic model identified a similar threshold of duration and physiological response in upper body exercise, subjects performed two exercise bouts at critical power determined from the hyperbolic model, the mean durations of which were 22.4 ± 10.6 and 23.1 ± 11.3 minutes, with a typical error of 84s. A variety of patterns of physiological response were evident and critical power from the hyperbolic model in upper body exercise did not characterise the intensity associated with the highest steady state values of V02 or blood lactate in all subjects. The results indicate that values of critical power and anaerobic work capacity in upper body exercise are affected by the selection of model and aspects of experimental protocol such as the number and range of bouts, which affects their repeatability. These issues confound the question of whether critical power from the hyperbolic model identifies a threshold of upper body physiological response. Future studies might examine whether one or two single performance tests could provide both valid performance data whilst suggesting changes in aspects of underlying physiology, such as aerobic and anaerobic capacities.
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Pecoraro, Fabrizio <1978>. "Mechanics of the upper part of the body during locomotion." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2007. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/395/.
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Renna, I. "Upper body tracking and Gesture recognition for Human-Machine Interaction." Phd thesis, Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI, 2012. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00717443.
Full textAbstract:
Les robots sont des agents artificiels qui peuvent agir dans le monde des humains grâce aux capacités de perception. Dans un contexte d'interaction homme-robot, les humains et les robots partagent le même espace de communication. En effet, les robots compagnons sont censés communiquer avec les humains d'une manière naturelle et intuitive: l'une des façons les plus naturelles est basée sur les gestes et les mouvements réactifs du corps. Pour rendre cette interaction la plus conviviale possible, un robot compagnon doit, donc, être doté d'une ou plusieurs capacités lui permettant de percevoir, de reconnaître et de réagir aux gestes humains. Cette thèse a été focalisée sur la conception et le développement d'un système de reconnaissance gestuelle dans un contexte d'interaction homme-robot. Ce système comprend un algorithme de suivi permettant de connaître la position du corps lors des mouvements et un module de niveau supérieur qui reconnaît les gestes effectués par des utilisateurs humains. De nouvelles contributions ont été apportées dans les deux sujets. Tout d'abord, une nouvelle approche est proposée pour le suivi visuel des membres du haut du corps. L'analyse du mouvement du corps humain est difficile, en raison du nombre important de degrés de liberté de l'objet articulé qui modélise la partie supérieure du corps. Pour contourner la complexité de calcul, chaque membre est suivi avec un filtre particulaire à recuit simulé et les différents filtres interagissent grâce à la propagation de croyance. Le corps humain en 3D est ainsi qualifié comme un modèle graphique dans lequel les relations entre les parties du corps sont représentées par des distributions de probabilité conditionnelles. Le problème d'estimation de la pose est donc formulé comme une inférence probabiliste sur un modèle graphique, où les variables aléatoires correspondent aux paramètres des membres individuels (position et orientation) et les messages de propagation de croyance assurent la cohérence entre les membres. Deuxièmement, nous proposons un cadre permettant la détection et la reconnaissance des gestes emblématiques. La question la plus difficile dans la reconnaissance des gestes est de trouver de bonnes caractéristiques avec un pouvoir discriminant (faire la distinction entre différents gestes) et une bonne robustesse à la variabilité intrinsèque des gestes (le contexte dans lequel les gestes sont exprimés, la morphologie de la personne, le point de vue, etc). Dans ce travail, nous proposons un nouveau modèle de normalisation de la cinématique du bras reflétant à la fois l'activité musculaire et l'apparence du bras quand un geste est effectué. Les signaux obtenus sont d'abord segmentés et ensuite analysés par deux techniques d'apprentissage : les chaînes de Markov cachées et les Support Vector Machine. Les deux méthodes sont comparées dans une tâche de reconnaissance de 5 classes de gestes emblématiques. Les deux systèmes présentent de bonnes performances avec une base de données de formation minimaliste quels que soient l'anthropométrie, le sexe, l'âge ou la pose de l'acteur par rapport au système de détection. Le travail présenté ici a été réalisé dans le cadre d'une thèse de doctorat en co-tutelle entre l'Université "Pierre et Marie Curie" (ISIR laboratoire, Paris) et l'Université de Gênes (IIT - Tera département) et a été labelisée par l'Université Franco-Italienne.
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Gates, Phillip Ellis. "Echocardiographic determination of left ventricular adaptation to upper body exercise." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.312114.
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Talbot, Chris. "Physiological and biomechanical responses during high intensity upper body exercise." Thesis, University of Northampton, 2013. http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/8886/.
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Renna, Ilaria. "Upper body tracking and Gesture recognition for Human-Machine Interaction." Paris 6, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012PA066119.
Full textAbstract:
Les robots sont des agents artificiels qui peuvent agir dans le monde des humains grâce aux capacités de perception. Dans un contexte d’interaction homme-robot, les humains et les robots partagent le même espace de communication. En effet, les robots compagnons sont censés communiquer avec les humains d’une manière naturelle et intuitive: l’une des façons les plus naturelles est basée sur les gestes et les mouvements réactifs du corps. Pour rendre cette interaction la plus conviviale possible, un robot compagnon doit, donc, être doté d’une ou plusieurs capacités lui permettant de percevoir, de reconnaître et de réagir aux gestes humains. Cette thèse a été focalisée sur la conception et le développement d’un système de reconnaissance gestuelle dans un contexte d’interaction homme-robot. Ce système comprend un algorithme de suivi permettant de connaître la position du corps lors des mouvements et un module de niveau supérieur qui reconnaît les gestes effectués par des utilisateurs humains. De nouvelles contributions ont été apportées dans les deux sujets. Tout d’abord, une nouvelle approche est proposée pour le suivi visuel des membres du haut du corps. L’analyse du mouvement du corps humain est difficile, en raison du nombre important de degrés de liberté de l’objet articulé qui modélise la partie supérieure du corps. Pour contourner la complexité de calcul, chaque membre est suivi avec un filtre particulaire à recuit simulé et les différents filtres interagissent grâce à la propagation de croyance. Le corps humain en 3D est ainsi qualifié comme un modèle graphique dans lequel les relations entre les parties du corps sont représentées par des distributions de probabilité conditionnelles. Le problème d’estimation de la pose est donc formulé comme une inférence probabiliste sur un modèle graphique, où les variables aléatoires correspondent aux paramètres des membres individuels (position et orientation) et les messages de propagation de croyance assurent la cohérence entre les membres. Deuxièmement, nous proposons un cadre permettant la détection et la reconnais- sance des gestes emblématiques. La question la plus difficile dans la reconnaissance des gestes est de trouver de bonnes caractéristiques avec un pouvoir discriminant (faire la distinction entre différents gestes) et une bonne robustesse à la variabilité intrinsèque des gestes (le contexte dans lequel les gestes sont exprimés, la morpholo- gie de la personne, le point de vue, etc). Dans ce travail, nous proposons un nouveau modèle de normalisation de la cinématique du bras reflétant à la fois l’activité mus- culaire et l’apparence du bras quand un geste est effectué. Les signaux obtenus sont d’abord segmentés et ensuite analysés par deux techniques d’apprentissage : les chaînes de Markov cachées et les Support Vector Machine. Les deux méthodes sont comparées dans une tâche de reconnaissance de 5 classes de gestes emblématiques. Les deux systèmes présentent de bonnes performances avec une base de données de formation minimaliste quels que soient l’anthropométrie, le sexe, l’âge ou la pose de l’acteur par rapport au système de détection. Le travail présenté ici a été réalisé dans le cadre d’une thèse de doctorat en co-tutelle entre l’Université “Pierre et Marie Curie” (ISIR laboratoire, Paris) et l’Université de Gênes (IIT - Tera département) et a été labelisée par l’Université Franco-ItalienneRobots are artificial agents that can act in humans’ world thanks to perception, action and reasoning capacities. In particular, robots companion are designed to share with humans the same physical and communication spaces in performing daily life collaborative tasks and aids. In such a context, interactions between humans and robots are expected to be as natural and as intuitive as possible. One of the most natural ways is based on gestures and reactive body motions. To make this friendly interaction possible, a robot companion has to be endowed with one or more capabilities allowing him to perceive, to recognize and to react to human gestures. This PhD thesis has been focused on the design and the development of a gesture recognition system that can be exploited in a human-robot interaction context. This system includes (1) a limbs-tracking algorithm that determines human body position during movements and (2) a higher-level module that recognizes gestures performed by human users. New contributions were made in both topics. First, a new approach is proposed for visual tracking of upper-body limbs. Analysing human body motion is challenging, due to the important number of degrees of freedom of the articulated object modelling the upper body. To circumvent the computational complexity, each limb is tracked with an Annealed Particle Filter and the different filters interact through Belief Propagation. 3D human body is described as a graphical model in which the relationships between the body parts are represented by conditional probability distributions. Pose estimation problem is thus formulated as a probabilistic inference over a graphical model, where the random variables correspond to the individual limb parameters (position and orientation) and Belief Propagation messages ensure coherence between limbs. Secondly, we propose a framework allowing emblematic gestures detection and recognition. The most challenging issue in gesture recognition is to find good features with a discriminant power (to distinguish between different gestures) and a good robustness to intrinsic gestures variability (the context in which gestures are expressed, the morphology of the person, the point of view, etc. ). In this work, we propose a new arm's kinematics normalization scheme reflecting both the muscular activity and arm's appearance when a gesture is performed. The obtained signals are first segmented and then analysed by two machine learning techniques: Hidden Markov Models and Support Vector Machines. The two methods are compared in a 5 classes emblematic gestures recognition task. Both systems show good performances with a minimalistic training database regardless to performer's anthropometry, gender, age or pose with regard to the sensing system. The work presented here has been done within the framework of a PhD thesis in joint supervision between the “Pierre et Marie Curie” University (ISIR laboratory, Paris) and the University of Genova (IIT--Tera department) and was labelled by the French-Italian University
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Chen, Meng-Yun. "The Virtual Haptic Human Upper Body for Palpatory Diagnostic Training." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1289418073.
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Mansfield, Kimberly C. "A comparison of peak blood lactates following maximal upper body and maximal combined upper and lower body simulated ski exercises in elite cross-country skiers." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/5692.
Full textAbstract:
Peak fingertip blood lactate values obtained following maximal intensity simulated double poling ski exercise (PBLa(A)), were compared with peak fingertip blood lactate values obtained following maximal intensity simulated combined arm and leg ski striding exercise (PBLa(A + L)). The combined arm and leg protocols were performed on two different types of treadmills, a walking treadmill and a ski treadmill. Phase one combined arms and legs ski striding protocol (A + L)$\sb1$, involved ski walking on a treadmill with simultaneous arm poling movements achieved through a rope pulley system. Phase two combined arms and legs ski striding protocol (A + L)$\sb2$, whereby skiers using skis and poles performed a diagonal stride on a carpeted treadmill. The arms only double poling exercise protocol(A), was conducted identically in both test phases. Kneeling on a trolley or rollerboard, skiers pulled themselves up a 95 inch inclined track using rope pulleys at a cadence of one pull every 2.5 seconds. Peak blood lactate values represented the highest blood lactate value obtained from the post exercise samples. Differences in phase one and two PBLa(A + L) and MVO$\sb2$ values were related to the degree of sports specificity of the A + L protocol to cross-country skiing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Costa, Nelson Rafael Simoes. "Lower Body Exoskeleton for Walking Gait Assistance and Performance Augmentation using Compliance Controlled Actuators." Thesis, University of Salford, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.502780.
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Murgia, Alessio. "A gait analysis approach to the study of upper limb kinematics using activities of daily living." Thesis, University of Reading, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.424254.
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Skopowski, Paul F. "Immersive articulation of the human upper body in a virtual environment." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 1996. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA286926.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1996.Thesis advisor(s): Robert B. McGhee, John S. Falby. Appendix E videotape located at Circulation Desk, call number VHS 5000064. "December 1996." Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-222). Also available online.
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Nesser, Thomas William. "The development of upper body power in junior cross country skiers /." Diss., ON-CAMPUS Access For University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Click on "Connect to Digital Dissertations", 2000. http://www.lib.umn.edu/articles/proquest.phtml.
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Chu, Cheng-Tse. "Robust Upper Body Pose Recognition in Unconstrained Environments Using Haar-Disparity." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2165.
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In this research, an approach is proposed for the robust tracking of upper body movement in unconstrained environments by using a Haar- Disparity algorithm together with a novel 2D silhouette projection algorithm. A cascade of boosted Haar classifiers is used to identify human faces in video images, where a disparity map is then used to establish the 3D locations of detected faces. Based on this information, anthropometric constraints are used to define a semi-spherical interaction space for upper body poses. This constrained region serves the purpose of pruning the search space as well as validating user poses. Haar-Disparity improves on the traditional skin manifold tracking by relaxing constraints on clothing, background and illumination. The 2D silhouette projection algorithm provides three orthogonal views of the 3D objects. This allows tracking of upper limbs to be performed in the 2D space as opposed to manipulating 3D noisy data directly. This thesis also proposes a complete optimal set of interactions for very large interactive displays. Experimental evaluation includes the performance of alternative camera positions and orientations, accuracy of pointing, direct manipulative gestures, flag semaphore emulation, and principal axes. As a minor part of this research interest, the usability of interacting using only arm gestures is also evaluated based on ISO 9241-9 standard. The results suggest that the proposed algorithm and optimal set of interactions are useful for interacting with large displays.
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Berry, Bobby D. "Effects of upper body resistance while treadmill walking in older adults." Thesis, Wichita State University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10057/6804.
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Individuals have been adding hand-weights to walking regimens to increase caloric expenditure and arm strength. This is typically contraindicated due to changes in mechanics caused by weighted swinging arms. To address this safety concern we used a new commercial treadmill with a modified support rail that allowed a resistance to be applied to the upper body without the force of the swinging hand-weights. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess functional strength, balance and walking speed on older adults, while walking on a modified treadmill that applied intermittent upper-body static presses and see the effects. METHODS: Five older adults (age: 75 plus-minus 14 yrs) males(n= 2) and females (n=3) completed four weeks of exercise trials twice per week. (WALK + RES) were tested on the same days. The WALK + RES trial used a specially designed treadmill equipped with an adjustable weighted sled apparatus. Subjects walked at their desired speed throughout the trial starting at a grade of 0% which was not increased during the ten minutes. The WALK + RES trial incorporated an upper body static press against a weighted sled set at 5% of their body weight as resistance. During the WALK + RES trial, subjects completed ten minutes of 30 second static presses separated by 30 seconds of upper-body relaxation. RPE was recorded at the ten minute trial using the Borg scale, respectively. At the start and finish of the four weeks balance, & strength were retested to see if any gains were made. RESULTS: Strength gains were made on everyone tested and balance gains were also made. CONCLUSION: Adding upper-body resistance to walking significantly increases workload. The modified treadmill allows participants to fix their hands to a rail, similar to pushing a cart addressing the safety concerns of lumbar rotation caused by hand-weights Adding functional resistance upper-body exercise during walking may be an effective mode of exercise to increase strength, balance and activities of daily living in special populations.Thesis (M.Ed)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Human Performance Studies
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Grant, Marie Clare. "The role of the upper body in high intensity cycle ergometry." Thesis, University of the West of Scotland, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.739947.
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Ratliff, Adam R. "Designing a Surrogate Upper Body Mass for a Projectile Pedestrian Legform." The Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1204662790.
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Hansson, Björn. "Effects of upper body concurrent training in trained individuals: a review." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för idrottsvetenskap (ID), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-67276.
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Concurrent training (CT) is defined as the development of both endurance and strength within the same exercise program. CT has been studied for decades, but the results has been diverse. However, very few have studied the effects of CT on the upper body musculature. Hence, this review set out to investigate the effects of combined strength and endurance training (ET) of the upper body on muscle hypertrophy, muscle strength and endurance variables. PubMed was searched with relevant search terms with varying combinations, such as concurrent training, combined strength and endurance training. After scanning the literature, a total of eight articles were included. The results suggest that muscle strength, exercise economy and time to exhaustion can effectively be improved by CT of the upper body. The effect of CT on upper body musculature were unclear. Some of the articles included suggests a decrease in whole body lean mass, which might simply be due to insufficient loading of the lower body musculature. In order to maintain muscle mass during a CT protocol, endurance athletes should aim to perform ST which targets muscles active during ET. However, the limited empiric literature available on CT of the upper body makes a conclusion hard to draw. This review shows that CT of the upper body is yet an unexplored and researchers should further investigate the effects of CT for the musculature of the upper body alone. If we gain more knowledge of the effects from concurrent training of the upper body, it could have several implications, both clinically and in a sport setting.
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Lafta, Hassanain Ali. "Analysis of upper body biomechanics and control in manual wheelchair users." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2018. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/112124/.
Full textAbstract:
Manual wheelchair propulsion involves repetitive shoulder range of motion and muscular activities. It is an important form of mobility for many people with lower limb disabilities who depend upon their upper body to provide means of locomotion for completion of their activities of daily living. As a result of greater than normal usage of the upper limbs, shoulder and wrist pain and pathology are common among manual wheelchair users. This study provides a biomechanical analysis of the manual wheelchair mobility in control subjects during their functional activities of daily living. Non-experienced wheelchair users were recruited per this study for their feature of novice as they could determine their own self-selected speed and pattern of propulsion and to limit any variability that would be existed by a study group with multiple inter-individual differences. In the context of manual wheelchair propulsion, biomechanics of upper body involves the study of how a manual wheelchair user imparts power to the wheels to achieve mobility. In general, the primary goal of biomechanical analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion is to generate knowledge that can be used to improve performance and/or prevent injuries. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of trunk and upper limb biomechanics associated with diverse wheelchair configurations in terms of adjusting vertical displacement (seat-to-floor height) and horizontal displacement (rear wheel axle position). A marker-based 3D motion analysis technique was used with more recently to the six degrees of freedom (6DOF) analysis, as an integrated feature in the software that was used to collect the motion capture data (Qualisys Track Manager, QTM, Qualisys, Sweden). Three-dimensional kinematics of trunk and upper limb joints were investigated during physiological range of motion (ROM), activities of daily living (ADL), and functional wheelchair mobility that includes starting up from the rest, propulsion and stopping a wheelchair during manual propulsion ii The contribution of the shoulder complex muscles was investigated through the analysis of the surface electromyographic (sEMG) patterns of six stabilising muscles activity during physiological range of motion, activities of daily living and functional wheelchair mobility. Also, the interrelationship between the users’ anthropometric characteristics and the biomechanics of their upper body were investigated in terms of kinematics, surface electromyography and spatiotemporal parameters during manual wheelchair propulsion. This study showed an interrelationship between diverse wheelchair configurations of adjustable wheelchair rear wheel axle position and seat height and upper body kinematic behaviour, muscles recruitment and spatiotemporal patterns during manual wheelchair mobility. It was observed that changing rear wheel axle position posteriorly and raising the seat-to-floor distance (i.e. raising the seat height position) are correlated with higher upper body kinematics and release phase muscle activities and lower pushing patterns and push muscle activities during functional wheelchair mobility and so could be linked with higher risk of musculoskeletal disorders. As the number of manual wheelchair users is developing around the world, it becomes very essential to increase the understanding of the biomechanics of upper body to enhance the performance and decrease the risk of injury. It is hoped that this knowledge will help both manufacturers and clinicians when designing and prescribing wheelchairs that are more proper to the users' functional features, needs and expectations, accordingly profiting users' independence and quality of life.
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Nakachi, Evan H. "Unilateral Traditional Weight Lifting Generates Greatest Acute Upper Body Power Output." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2014. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5745.
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Bilateral deficit (BLD) is a phenomenon where the force generated from simultaneous bilateral limb contractions is less than the sum force generated by separate right and left limb contractions. There have been many BLD studies, but the measures of force generation have predominantly been with isometric and isokinetic contractions. There are, however, no dynamic upper body isotonic unilateral weight lifting studies on acute power output. The purpose of this study was to determine acute power output between bilateral and unilateral weight lifting under the conditions of traditional and circuit weight lifting. Seventeen male BYU rugby players (age = 21.8 ± 2.1 years; mass = 93.5 ± 12.5 kg; height = 181.9 ± 5.0 cm) participated in the study. Each subject participated in 4 randomized weight lifting testing sessions separated by at least 48 h. Each weight lifting protocol included 6 dumbbell lifts (bench press, bent over row, overhead press, bicep curls, front raise, and bent over raise) performed as explosively as possible for 5 sets of 5 repetitions at 40–50% of 1RM. GymAware [GYM] units measured power output for the right and left arms. Peak and mean power (of all lifts combined) was greatest in the unilateral traditional weight lifting (UTWL) group compared to all other groups (p < .0001 for each comparison). No significant differences in overall peak and mean power (all lifts combined) existed between the other 3 groups. UTWL peak and mean power outputs were significantly highest for all lifts. UTWL and bilateral traditional weight lifting (BTWL) generated the second or third highest peak power outputs for all lifts, but they were not statistically different from each other except for the bent over raise. Bilateral circuit weight lifting (BCWL) generated the lowest peak power output in all lifts, but was not statistically different from the third lowest peak power output except for the bent over raise. Our study determined that dynamic upper body isotonic unilateral movements generate significantly greater power output than dynamic upper body isotonic bilateral movements using free weights. It was also concluded that traditional weight lifting protocols generated greater power output than circuit weight lifting protocols.
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Morton, Darren. "Effect of lactate tolerance board training on upper body anaerobic performance." Thesis, University of Ballarat, School of Human Movement and Sport Sciences Ballarat, Vic. :, 1994. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/32852.
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"The present study was concerned with the effect of lactate tolerance training and a period of reduced training on the energy systems and associated performance."Thesis (Master of Science (Human Movement)
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Hensel, Nicholas (Nicholas Charles). "Development of a human body upper arm dynamic model for compensation and control of a body mounted robot." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/111755.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-78).
Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRLs) are robotic manipulators worn on the human body which seek to augment the abilities of their wearers. A critical element to the design and implementation of these robotic systems is the development of a control framework which allows for intuitive control. The control of SRLs is further complicated by the relative motion of the manipulator with respect to its environment due to motion of the human body. Developing a dynamic model of the human body on which an SRL is mounted can serve as a useful tool, both for understanding the configuration of the SRL with respect to its user and for controlling the mechanism given a well-structured task process model. Subspace identification was investigated as a possible technique for generating a dynamic model of the human body from a set of defined input and output data. To validate the potential applicability of this approach, a simulated system was developed to model simple human arm reaching motions. From this simulated system, a set of virtual measurements were made to construct input/ output data sets. Subspace identification applied to these data sets indicated the applicability of the approach. Further testing was then conducted via the development of an experimental system for measuring actual human reaching motions. Using appropriate measurements, the simulation framework was reproduced with a physical system. Applying subspace identification techniques to the real data, a dynamic model was produced which could effectively reproduce the arm configuration. The success of both the simulated and experimental systems indicates that subspace techniques may be appropriate for generating human body dynamic models.
by Nicholas Hensel.
S.M.
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Cami, Sonila. "Effects of Body Mass Index and Walking Speed in Gait Biomechanics of Young Adult Males." Scholarly Repository, 2007. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/86.
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Gait biomechanics of forty male subjects was evaluated at normal and fast walking speeds. The forty subjects composed four groups based on their body mass index, with ten subjects in each of the groups: underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. To our knowledge this is the first comprehensive 3-dimensional kinetic and kinematic gait analysis of all four groups based on body mass index. The obese subjects walked with significantly slower gait speed by taking shorter steps and strides, while having significantly higher step widths and longer gait cycle times than the other subjects. The obese subjects spent significantly less time in single support and more time in double support than their non-obese counterparts. These adjustments in temporal characteristics for the obese participants may be as a result of the gait compensation for the additional body weight in order to give them the most efficient, stable and balanced walking ability. Body mass index affected significantly the forces and moments at the ankle, knee and hip in the medial-lateral plane while speed effects were more prominent in the sagittal and transverse planes. These results suggest that an increase in the body weight would affect the gait stability while increasing the speed will affect the gait progression. Contrary to most researchers beliefs that an increase of the body weight would increase the forces and moments of the knee in all three planes, this study was able to prove that the actual forces and moments in the medial-lateral plane for the knee joint decrease while the ones in the sagittal plane increase. On the other hand, the hip joint in the medial-lateral plane displays the highest forces and moment for the obese subjects. These results are indicative of a gait compensation related to increasing body weight in the medial-lateral compartment of the lower extremity joints. Recommendations for further studies and follow up experiments are enclosed.
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Persson, Anders. "Platform development of body area network for gait symmetry analysis using IMU and UWB technology." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-39498.
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Having a device with the capability of measure motions from gait produced by a human being, could be of most importance in medicine and sports. Physicians or researchers could measure and analyse key features of a person's gait for the purpose of rehabilitation or science, regarding neurological disabilities. Also in sports, professionals and hobbyists could use such a device for improving their technique or prevent injuries when performing. In this master thesis, I present the research of what technology is capable of today, regarding gait analysis devices. The research that was done has then help the development of a suggested standalone hardware sensor node for a Body Area Network, that can support research in gait analysis. Furthermore, several algorithms like for instance UWB Real-Time Location and Dead Reckoning IMU/AHRS algorithms, have been implemented and tested for the purpose of measuring motions and be able to run on the sensor node device. The work in this thesis shows that a IMU sensor have great potentials for generating high rate motion data while performing on a small mobile device. The UWB technology on the other hand, indicates a disappointment in performance regarding the intended application but can still be useful for wireless communication between sensor nodes. The report also points out the importance of using a high performance micro controller for achieving high accuracy in measurements.
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Alsobrook, Nathan Gabriel. "The role of upper body power in classical cross-country skiing performance." Thesis, Montana State University, 2005. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2005/alsobrook/AlsobrookN0805.pdf.
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Bottoms, Lindsay. "Thermoregulatory Responses during Upper Body Exercise, Thermal Stress, Training and Heat Acclimation." Thesis, Coventry University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.487373.
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The area of thermoregulation during upper body exercise has received limited research in able bodied individuals. The series of studies presented in this thesis investigated the effect of exercise intensity, duration and environmental temperature on thermoregulatory responses, including calf volume and blood flow, during upper body exercise and recovery. In order to manipulate these variables and observe the adaptive thermoregulatory responses, upper body training and heat acclimation were also performed. Chapter 4 examined the effect of exercise intensity (45, 60, 75· and 90% peak power; Wpeak) on thermoregulatory responses during 5 min of upper body exercise. The results of this study suggest a redistribution of blood from the relatively'inactive lower body during arm exercise of intensities up to 60%Wpeak after which point calf volume did not 'I significantly decrease further. The calf volume decrease is possibly a result of vasoconstriction reducing blood pooling in the leg. Chapter 5 examined the effects of exercise duration (15,30, arid 45 min at 60%Wpeak) on thermoregulatory responses during and after upper body exercise. During upper body exercise at 60% Wpeak calf volume decreased up to 15 min with no further decrease thereafter. In all trials calf blood flow was greater at the cessation of exercise compared to rest suggesting hyperaemia occurred at the end of exercise. Chapter ~ examined the effects of exercise (30 min, 60%Wpeak) in different environmental temperatures (21, 27 ~nd 33°C) on thermoregulatory responses. Calf skin blood flow from Laser Doppler measurements increased in all trials with a concomitant decrease in calf volume. The decrease in the calf volume..reported therefore reflected a greater and more substantial muscle vasoconstriction compared to increased skin blood flow. There was a greater decrease in calf volume during the 27°C trial which appears to be, a result of a lower skin blood flow response compared to exercising in 33°C. Chapter 7 examined the effect of 8 weeks of upper body training on thermoregulatory responses during upper body exercise. Upper body training reduced aural temperature and heat storage at a given power output as a result of increased whole body sweating and heat flow. Upper body training produced a smaller calf volume change after training at the same absolute exercise intensity demonstrating less leg vasoconstriction which was possibly as a result of a reduced response to sympathetic nervous activity or the fact that exercise was performed overall at a lower intensity post training (47% vs. 60%Wpeak). Chapter 8 examined the effect cSf exercising (30 min, 60%Wpeak) evrpry day in the h~at for 7 . '. days on'thermoregulatory responses to upper body exercise in the heat. There was reduced core temperature during exercise. The calf volume decrease was significantly greater during exercise in the heat following heat acclimation which may be a .result of increased vasoconstriction compensating, for an increase in skin blood flow to reduce venous pooling and therefore to maintain both stroke volume and blood flow to the skin. The lower body appears to have an important role in both cardiovascular stability as well as thermoregulation during upper body exercise.. It is proposed that this is achieved by reducing venous pooling in the calf thus increasing the availability of blood for maintaining stroke volume and increasing skin blood flow during exercise. The responses at the calf during exercise can be adapted through heat acclimation and upper body training.
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Navid, Lambert-Shirzad. "Upper-body motion coordination after stroke : insights from kinematic and muscle synergies." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/63208.
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Several studies suggest that the human central nervous system controls groups of muscles and/or joints (synergies) rather than controlling each muscle or joint separately to reduce the dimensionality of motor planning and execution. Furthermore, recent studies with stroke survivors indicate that motor impairment after stroke is due to a disruption in the recruitment and the combination of the motor synergies.
The objective of the work in this thesis was to investigate human upper body motor coordination and to demonstrate the viability of synergistic motor control theory in describing the natural upper body movements, as well as quantifying the effects of stroke on motion generation.
A critique of previous studies on this topic is that the synergies they report are task-specific and reflect the biomechanical constraints of the task rather than the neural strategies of motor control. To address this, the studies covered in this dissertation were focused on quantification of motor synergies demonstrated during exploratory motor tasks. Exploratory motions have the potential to reveal individualized motion tendencies or motor deficits.
The first study compared the robustness of matrix factorization methods reported in literature to characterize motor synergies, and showed that non-negative matrix factorization is more suited for synergy analysis. The second study established how much exploratory motion data is needed to reliably extract motor synergies of healthy and stroke survivor individuals. A group of healthy adults were recruited for the third study. The results showed that motor synergies between the dominant and non-dominant hands of healthy adults are similar (within-subject similarities) and that healthy adults share a set of “healthy” motor synergies (between-subjects similarities). The fourth study explored how stroke changes motor synergies. The study showed that healthy motor synergies are preserved in the less-affected arm of stroke survivors. However, the motor synergies of the stroke-affected arm are altered through merging and fractionation of healthy synergies and these processes are a function of the individual’s impairment and time post-stroke.
These results offer a better understanding of motor synergies and can improve rehabilitation practices by identifying strengthening physical therapy exercises that utilize or promote the use of “healthy” synergies.Applied Science, Faculty of
Graduate
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Burt, Lauren A. "Upper body bone strength and muscle function in non-elite artistic gymnasts." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2011. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/285f3fb7c88a999d12b83b71701c682999d6d8f0bb8cf51abb8134e482e0afa3/8793736/Burt_2011_Upper_body_bone_strength_and_muscle.pdf.
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Musculoskeletal development in the upper limbs of non-elite female gymnasts during pre and early pubescent growth is under researched. Most studies have focussed on elite rather than non-elite gymnasts, via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The purpose of this thesis was to longitudinally characterise the effects of non-elite female artistic gymnastics participation on upper limb musculoskeletal parameters using peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT), DXA and muscle function assessments. Three major studies were designed. Study one compared the upper limb of two groups of gymnasts (high-training gymnasts (HGYM), participating in 6-16 hr/wk, low-training gymnasts (LGYM), participating in 1-5 hr/wk) and an age matched control group (NONGYM) for differences in bone mass, size and strength. Difference in upper limb muscle size, structure and function were also compared. Study two pooled both HGYM and LGYM to compare traditional pQCT skeletal parameters at the radius (4% and 66% sites) with NONGYM. To advance the understanding of site and bone specificity in young gymnastics, similar measures were also undertaken at the ulna. Study three combined variables in studies one and two in a longitudinal (6-month) comparison of the upper limb musculoskeletal changes in two groups of gymnasts (HGYM, LGYM) and a NONGYM group. Benefits beyond growth associated with gymnastics participation during pre- and early pubertal years were examined.
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Seminatore, John Martin. "Upper Body Design of a Humanoid Robot for the DARPA Robotics Challenge." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73189.
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Humanoid robots have captured the imagination of authors and researchers for years. Development of the bipedal walking necessary for humanoid robots began in earnest in the late 60's with research in Europe and Japan. The the unique challenges of a bipedal locomotion led to initial robots keeping power, computation, and perception systems off-board while developing the actuators and algorithms to enable locomotion. As technology has improved humanoid and exoskeleton systems have finally incorporated all the various subsytems to build a full independent system. Many of the groups building these platforms have developed them based on knowledge acquired through decades of prior development. For groups developing new humanoid systems little guidance on the pitfalls and challenges of humanoid design exist.
Virginia Tech's robot ESCHER, developed for the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), is the 4th generation full sized humanoid developed at the University. This paper attempts to quantify the design trades and techniques used to predict performance of ESCHER and how these trades specifically affected the design of the upper body. The development of ESCHER became necessary when it became obvious that the original design assumptions behind the previous robot THOR left it incapable of completing the DRC course and the necessary upgrades would require an almost complete redesign. Using the methods described in this paper ESCHER was designed manufactured and began initial testing within 10 months. One and a half months later ESCHER became the first humanoid to walk the 60 m course at the DRC.
The methods described in this paper provide guidance on the decision making process behind the various subsystems on ESCHER. In addition the methodology of developing a dynamic simulation to predict performance before development of the platform helped provide design requirements that ensured the performance of the system. By setting design requirements ESCHER met or exceeded the goals of the team and remains a valuable development platform that can provide utility well beyond the DRC.Master of Science