The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the McDavid Knee Brace on forward and backward running kinematics and ground reaction forces. The subjects were 10past history of knee problems or any other physical disabilities that could affect their performance. The subjects were unpaid volunteers. Stride length and stride frequency values were determined during forward and backward treadmill run under each experimental condition (with a brace and without a brace). An ANOVA indicated no significant knee brace effect for either forward or backward treadmill running stride length or stride frequency. In the second phase of this study, ground reaction forces were determined for each experimental condition. The ground reaction peak forces under each experimental condition were not significantly different during either forward or backward running. Other statistical analysis of other dependent variables of forward and backward running indicated no significant bracing effect for ankle, knee and hip angular acceleration, angular displacement and angular velocity. Within the limitation of this study it is concluded that the McDavid Knee Brace had no effect on forward or backward running kinematics or ground reaction forces. / School of Physical Education

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-116).

Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Delaware, 2006 / Principal faculty advisors: Sun, Jian-Qiao, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Katherine Rudolph, Dept. of Physical Therapy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisors: Jian-Qiao Sun, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and Katherine Rudolph, Dept. of Physical Therapy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)-- Springfield College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.S.)--California University of Pennsylvania, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references and abstract. Thesis available as PDF via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)-- Springfield College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

It has been found that magneto-rheological (MR) devices can produce large controllable force/torque while consuming little power. In this research, an MR actuator that can function as a clutch or a brake is developed, in order to be applied to an assistive knee brace. The torque capability and dynamic characteristics of the MR actuator are evaluated. The relationship between the torque output and the applied coil current is given. The response time is also measured. Experimental results show that the MR actuator can provide enough torque for normal activities with sufficiently fast response. IP control and adaptive control are proposed to control the MR actuator. Experiments under these controls are carried out. With anti-windup strategies, both controls achieve good performances. However, adaptive control would be more promising since it can adapt to parameter variations and maintain good performance. An assistive knee brace that contains this MR actuator and a DC motor is developed. In order to study the performances of the knee brace before applied to human body, experiments are conducted for evaluation under a custom-built testing structure. IP-based state control and adaptive control are used to control both the MR actuator and DC motor. Experimental results demonstrate that the MR actuator and DC motor work well together to provide assistance as expected. Compared with that without MR actuator, the evaluation results show that the knee brace with MR actuator is more energy efficient during normal walking, while having better force controllability and safety. / by Chen, Jinzhou. / Adviser: Liao Wei Hsin. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-151). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.