AbstractBackground: ACL injuries is common and can result in long term disability or even have a career ending outcome for the athlete. Women are more exposed to ACL injuries than men are and several factors increase the risk of ACL injuries for women where one is the knee angle velocity. It seems that prevention programs involving plyometric- and strength training has been most effective on altering these risk factors for knee injuries. But many programs involve several exercises which makes it very time consuming. Since the gluteus muscles is our main hip abductor and hip stabilizer it is of great importance for controlling the knee. The ProPrioPlate (PPP) is a device that has been validated and shown to activate the gluteus medius 40% more in a squat compared to a regular bodyweight squat.Purpose: To investigate if a 6 week long training period, 3 sessions/ week, 5minutes/session with the PPP could decrease the mean abduction angular velocity (°/sec) of the knee joint in a Drop jump (DJ) in women with poor knee stabilityMethod: An experimental study design was used. Twelve female athletes with poor knee stability and signs of knee valgus in a drop jump conducted a 6 weeks training program to investigate any changes in abduction angular velocity in a DJ. 3D motion analyzes were performed before and after the training period. Wilcoxon signed ranked test was used to investigate if there were any changes in results between the different test occasions.Results: Median abduction angular velocity of the test performed before the intervention was -34. 34 (min -70. 65 max -11. 53) deg/sec and after the intervention median -34. 22 deg/sec (min -51. 97 max -3. 28). The P value was 0.24 which indicate that there were no statistical significant differences between the three testing occasions. Compliance to the intervention was low, 15%.Conclusion: A 6 weeks training period with the PPP did not decrease the abduction angular velocity. Due to low compliance rate amongst of subjects no conclusion regarding the effect of the device can be made. / Abstrakt:Bakgrund: Svenska ligament registret rapporterar ungefär 5000 främre korsbandsskador (ACL) årligen i Sverige. ACL skador kan resultera i långvarig frånvaro från sporten eller till och med att idrottaren inte längre kan fortsätta sin karriär. Kvinnor är mer utsatta för ACL skador än män och det är flera faktorer som ökar risken för ACL skador hos kvinnor. Forskningen pekar mot att träningsprogram som syftar till att minska risken för knäskador innefattar styrketräning och plyometrisk träning. Många träningsprogram för att minska risken för knäskador innefattar många övningar vilket gör det tidskrävande. ProPrioPlate (PPP) är ett träningsredskap som är validerat och har visats aktivera gluteus medius 40% mer i en knäböj på PPP jämfört med vanliga knäböj.Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka knätabduktionshastighet i ett dropp vertikalhopp innan och efter ett 6 veckors träningsprogram med PPP för kvinnor med bristande knästabilitet.Metod: En exprementell studiedesign har använts. Tjugo frivilliga kvinnliga idrottar med bristande knästabilitet och teckan på valgus vid dropjump genomförde ett 6 veckors träningsprogram för att undersöka om knäabduktionshastighet i ett dropp vertikalhopp förändrades efter träningsperioden. 3D analyser på testpersonerna genomfördes innan och efter träningsperioden. Wilcoxons signed ranked test användes för att undersöka skillnader mellan de olika test tillfällena.Resultat: Medianen av abduktionshastigheten före interventionen var -47,88 grader/sek (min -74,76 max -30.16), -34.34 (min -70.65 max -11.53) och efter interventionen -34.22 (min -51.97 max -3.28) grader/sek. P värdet var 0.24 vilket indikerar att det inte fanns någon signifikant skillnad mellan före- och eftertesterna. Följsamheten till träningen hos deltagarna var låg (15%).Slutsats: En 6 veckors träningsperiod med PPP minskade inte abduktionshastigheten i ett DJ. Låg åtföljnad av våra testpersoner till träningsperioden innebar att inga slutsatser gällande PPP kan utgöras.

There are millions of pieces of space debris in orbit around Earth that pose threats to operating spacecraft. Some of these debris can be attributed to satellite failure, or end-of-life protocols. With a continual increase in commercial satellite launches per year, decommissioned spacecraft act as more debris polluting the space environment. Not only can robotic arms assist with active orbital debris removal to be more sustainable, they also support robotic on-orbit servicing (OOS). Additionally, using a robotic manipulator enables different servicing operations to take place, allowing for life extension capabilities for expired spacecraft. These life extension services allow for a broader application for robotic arms, which includes rendezvous proximity operations and docking. Robotic arms can also be used for assembly and manufacturing cases, establishing a more sustained presence and creating permanent structures in space. When considering any robotic rendezvous maneuvers or servicing, assembly, and manufacturing tasks aboard a spacecraft, it is important for the parent satellite to maintain attitude throughout robot motion, as in a zero gravity setting, any forces created by the robot act as equal and opposite forces applied to the parent spacecraft. The research performed in this thesis aims to create a model to describe changes in attitude throughout planned robot motion, as well as introduce methods for compensating for potential disturbances. Additionally, methods for describing the kinematics of a robot manipulator are presented and the forces and torques experienced by each joint are calculated using Newton-Euler inverse dynamics. Based on a calculated trajectory of the end effector, these torques are propagated to the parent spacecraft to determine the change in angular velocity. The results of this analysis are used to determine the required angular velocity to apply to the parent spacecraft in order to maintain attitude. / Master of Science / There are millions of pieces of space debris in orbit that threaten operating spacecraft. Spacecraft that are no longer working, yet continue to orbit, are considered space debris. As commercial satellite launches increase each year, orbital debris becomes more of a problem. Instead of disregarding broken satellites and adding to the orbital debris problem, robotic arms can be used to help fix and extend the lives of these spacecraft through acts of refueling or docking with an expired satellite to assume control, as well as provide assistance with orbital debris removal. In a broader sense, robotic arms can help two satellites dock together as well as assist in proximity operations. Robotic arms can be used to manufacture parts and build space structures, establishing a more permanent human presence in space. Because these robot servicing tasks can be very precise, it is important for the attached spacecraft to maintain position and orientation. During any servicing, assembly, or manufacturing task, the motion of a robotic arm produces forces that propagate to the parent spacecraft. If the spacecraft were on the ground, these forces would absorb into the ground, not affecting the position or orientation of the spacecraft. In zero gravity, any forces created by the robot arm act as equal and opposite forces applied to the parent spacecraft. These forces can cause shifts in the satellites position and orientation which need to be compensated for. Methods for describing the motion of the robotic arm are presented, and a model for how the parent spacecraft reacts to this motion is created. The results from this analysis are used to determine the appropriate counterforce to apply to the parent spacecraft in order to maintain desired orientation.

A theoretical method for extracting the rotational degrees of freedom from a reconstructed three-dimensional velocity field has been developed. To extract the angular velocities the curl of the translational velocities must be performed. The three-dimensional velocity field is to be equally spaced so that the DFT-IDFT technique of taking partial derivatives of the translational velocities is used. A program was written in C along with MATLAB® which performed the theoretical calculations. Two proposed methods of experimentally verifying the angular velocity data is developed using a Kistler translational/angular piezobeam accelerometer to compare against the DFT-IDFT partial derivative technique for calculating the angular velocities. / Master of Science

<p>Reconstructing locomotor patterns from fossils is crucial for understanding the origins of primates and important transitions in various primate clades. Recent studies suggest that the semicircular canals of the inner ear provide evidence about locomotion. The canals sense rotational head accelerations and drive reflexes essential for normal movement. Because bony aspects of canal morphology influence canal sensitivity, this system can be studied in osteologic specimens and fossils. Variation in canal morphology in living and, by inference, extinct primates has been attributed to interspecific differences in locomotor behavior. However, the manner in which movement selects for canal morphology is debated, alternative scenarios are plausible, and no relevant measurements are available documenting head movements in primates.</p><p>To refine proposed links between canal morphology and locomotor function, and to resolve conflicting functional interpretations, this study examines head rotations in lemurs and lorises exhibiting diverse locomotor behaviors. Three-dimensional kinematic analyses were used to characterize angular velocities of the head during locomotion. These data are used to test hypotheses concerning intraspecific, interspecific, and body-size dependent variation in head rotations. Cranial CT scans are used to model canal sensitivity to rotations in different directions. Observed patterns of head rotation are compared to predicted patterns of sensitivity to test hypotheses about the relationship between locomotor behavior and canal design.</p><p>Evaluation of existing locomotor inferences reveals that brain size exerts a significant effect on canal size and that the prevailing equations for predicting agility from body and canal size are highly inaccurate. Intraspecific comparisons between maps of observed angular velocity and predicted sensitivity allow identification of map types associated with different general locomotor modes and do not support existing hypotheses about the primary selective forces acting on canal morphology. The new data are used to formulate and test a novel "fast-accurate hypothesis" to explain why all vertebrates are more sensitive to rotations about some axes than others. The fast-accurate hypothesis stipulates that angular velocities presented about axes of mean sensitivity are most accurately interpreted by the brain, and that selection aligns axes of mean sensitivity with axes of habitually fast rotation because accurate perception of rapid rotations confers survival benefit. The fast-accurate hypothesis was used to predict which features of the canals should be correlated with high mean angular velocities of head movement. Novel equations that predict behavior from these newly identified canal morphologies were generated and found to outperform existing equations when tested on the original sample of 11 strepsirrhine species.</p> / Dissertation

Spinning targets are usually observed in videos. The targets may sometimes appear as mobile targets at the same time. The targets become mobile spinning targets. Tracking a single point on a target is easier than tracking the whole target. We use a characteristic point on the target to estimate the interested parameters, such as angular velocity, virtual rotation center and moving velocity. Among these parameters, virtual rotation center does not spin, therefore it can be used to represent the position of the target. Traditionally, extended Kalman filter (EKF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and particle filter (PF) are choices for solving the nonlinear problems, but some problems exist. Linearization errors cause that EKF cannot accurately estimate the angular velocity. UKF and PF have high computational complexity. In the thesis, we give angular velocity an initial value. So we can establish a linear dynamic system model to displace the nonlinear model. Then, a new structure is proposed to avoid errors caused by initial value of angular velocity. In the structure, angular velocity is estimated individually and used to correct the initial value by feedback. We try to use fast Fourier transform to estimate angular velocity. But the convergence time of this method is affected by the value of angular velocity, and the direction of angular velocity can not be estimated directly. Therefore, Kalman filter (KF) with pseudo measurement is proposed to estimate the value of angular velocity. The estimator is accurate and has low computational complexity. Once angular velocity is estimated, we can easily predict the virtual rotation center from geometric relationship. In video system, measurements may be quantized and targets may sometimes be obstacled. We fix the measurement equation and use KF to mitigate quantization error. When measurements for the target is missing, the previous state is used to predict the current state. Finally, computer simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveless of the proposed method. The method can work in environments where measurement noise or quantization error exists. The methods can also be applied to different kinds of mobile spinning targets.

The present work introduces novel methodologies for damage detection and health monitoring of structural and mechanical systems. The new approach uses the angular velocity inside different mathematical forms, via a gyroscope, to detect, locate, and relatively quantify damage. This new approach has been shown to outperform the current state-of-the-art acceleration-based approach in detecting damage on structures. Additionally, the current approach has been shown to be less sensitive to environmental acoustic noises, which present major challenges to the acceleration-based approaches. Furthermore, the current approach has been demonstrated to work effectively on arch structures, which acceleration-based approaches have struggled to deal with. The efficacy of the new approach has been investigated through multiple forms of structural damage indices. The first methodology proposed a damage index that is based on the changes in the second spatial derivative (curvature) of the power spectral density (PSD) of the angular velocity during vibration. The proposed method is based on the output motion only and does not require information about the input forces/motions. The PSD of the angular velocity signal at different locations on structural beams was used to identify the frequencies where the beams show large magnitude of angular velocity. The curvature of the PSD of the angular velocity at these peak frequencies was then calculated. A damage index is presented that measures the differences between the PSD curvature of the angular velocity of a damaged structure and an artificial healthy baseline structure. The second methodology proposed a damage index that is used to detect and locate damage on straight and curved beams. The approach introduces the transmissibility and coherence functions of the output angular velocity between two points on a structure where damage may occur to calculate a damage index as a metric of the changes in the dynamic integrity of the structure. The damage index considers limited-frequency bands of the transmissibility function at frequencies where the coherence is high. The efficacy of the proposed angular-velocity damage-detection approach as compared to the traditional linear-acceleration damage-detection approach was tested on straight and curved beams with different chord heights. Numerical results showed the effectiveness of the angular-velocity approach in detecting damage of multiple levels. It was observed that the magnitude of the damage index increased with the magnitude of damage, indicating the sensitivity of the proposed method to damage intensity. The results on straight and curved beams showed that the proposed approach is superior to the linear-acceleration-based approach, especially when dealing with curved beams with increasing chord heights. The experimental results showed that the damage index of the angular-velocity approach outweighed that of the acceleration approach by multiple levels in terms of detecting damage. A third methodology for health-monitoring and updating of structure supports, which resemble bridges’ bearings, is introduced in this work. The proposed method models the resistance of the supports as rotational springs and uses the transmissibility and coherence functions of the output response of the angular velocity in the neighborhood of the bearings to detect changes in the support conditions. The proposed methodology generates a health-monitoring index that evaluates the level of deterioration in the support and a support-updating scheme to update the stiffness resistance of the supports. Numerical and experimental examples using beams with different support conditions are introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method detected changes in the state of the bearings and successfully updated the changes in the stiffness of the supports.

Background: Training to increase muscular power is essential for improving athletic performance in most sports. Weight training (WT) is a common means for training muscular power. Another modality, flywheel resistance training (FRT), may be superior for improving muscular power. However, few studies have examined if FRT is kinematically similar to WT, or if FRT kinematics change with increasing inertial load. The purposes of this study were to determine how sagittal plane joint kinematics are affected by increasing inertial load during FRT squats, and to determine how FRT squat joint kinematics compare to WT squat joint kinematics. Methods: Subjects (n=9) completed three visits for this study. On the first visit subjects completed squat 1 repetition maximum (1RM) testing. The second visit served as a full FRT familiarization session in which subjects performed one set of 5 maximal effort FRT squats at each inertial load (0.050, 0.075, and 0.100 kgm2). On the third visit, subjects were videoed in the sagittal plane while performing the FRT squat protocol. Subjects then completed 5 maximal velocity repetitions of WT squats with the barbell loaded according to the Kansas Squat Test (KST) protocol. Kinematic differences between inertial loads were determined via 1-way repeated measures ANOVAS while differences between FRT and WT were determined with paired T-tests. Results: There were no differences in peak sagittal plane knee, trunk-hip, trunk (absolute) or ankle angles between inertial loads. Peak and mean joint angular velocities decreased with increasing inertial loads at the knee and trunk-hip. Mean joint angular velocities decreased at the ankle with increasing inertial loads, while peak and mean trunk (absolute) angular velocities were unaffected. No statistical analyses were conducted for FRT and WT comparison as not enough subjects met the criteria (n=3). Conclusions: Sagittal plane joint kinematics are largely maintained despite increasing inertial load during FRT squats. Lower extremity joint angular velocities decreased with increasing inertial load. If training for muscular power and knee extensor velocity is the goal, then the inertia of 0.050 kgm2 is most suitable.

No description available.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a rehabilitative technology that can be used to improve walking in individuals with mobility impairments due to neurologic injury or disease. Feedback is essential for efficient FES-assisted walking. The overall goal of my project was to investigate external sensors to provide feedback for FES-assisted walking. The current study evaluated accelerometers, force sensitive resistors, segment orientation angles, and segment angular velocities to determine which were appropriate for determining the activation and deactivation of six major muscles used for walking. The results demonstrated that the segment orientation angles were the most appropriate sensors. Using the segment angle of the thigh, shank, and foot, the activation and deactivation times of the six muscles investigated could be determined within 6% of the step cycle. The shank segment angle performed the best for determining the activation and deactivation times when only one sensor was desired.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar as respostas cardiorrespiratórias, neuromusculares e cinemáticas durante o exercício de corrida estacionária com a flexão e extensão de cotovelo em diferentes cadências com e sem equipamento. A amostra desse estudo foi composta por 15 mulheres jovens que realizaram o exercício nas situações sem equipamento (SEM), com equipamento flutuante em ambos os membros (FLU-MSs/MIs) e com equipamento resistivo em ambos os membros (RES-MSs/MIs), nas cadências de 80 bpm, 100 bpm e no máximo esforço. Para as cadências submáximas o exercício foi realizado durante 4 min em cada situação e no máximo esforço o mesmo foi realizado durante 15 s. Utilizou-se ANOVA de 2 e 3 fatores, com post-hoc de Bonferroni (p < 0,05) (SPSS vs 15.0). Os resultados da frequência cardíaca e do consumo de oxigênio mostraram haver diferenças significativas entre as situações FLUMSs/ MIs e RES-MSs/MIs em comparação a SEM, com valores significativamente maiores para as situações de exercício com equipamento. Além disso, houve diferença entre as cadências de 80 e 100 bpm, com valores maiores e significativos para a cadência de 100 bpm. Para as variáveis de amplitude de movimento houve diferenças entre as cadências, com valores maiores de amplitude de movimento do quadril e joelho, conforme o incremento da cadência. Todavia, para a amplitude de movimento do cotovelo com o incremento da cadência houve uma diminuição da amplitude de movimento. Em relação a velocidade angular média de movimento do cotovelo, quadril e joelho houve diferenças significativas entre as cadências, com valores maiores para o máximo esforço. A velocidade angular média do quadril foi menor nas situações FLUMSs/ MIs e RES-MSs/MIs em comparação a SEM. Para as variáveis neuromusculares, não houve diferenças entre as situações, com exceção do percentual da contração isométrica voluntária máxima (%CVM) do tríceps braquial, que foi maior na situação FLU-MSs/MIs. Entre as diferentes cadências submáximas não houve diferenças para todos os músculos analisados, todavia entre essas e o máximo esforço houve diferenças, com maiores %CVM para o máximo esforço. O %CVM do bíceps femoral foi o único que demonstrou diferenças entre todas as cadências testadas nesse estudo. Entre as fases de movimento não houve diferença, com exceção do %CVM do reto femoral, o qual foi maior na fase de extensão. Em suma, o exercício de corrida estacionária com a flexão e extensão de cotovelo apresentou maiores respostas cardiorrespiratórias com o uso de equipamento (flutuante e resistivo) e também com o aumento da cadência de execução. Todavia, as respostas neuromusculares não diferiram entre as cadências submáximas, mas essas foram significativamente maiores no máximo esforço. / The purpose of the present study was to compare the cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and kinematic responses during the stationary running with the elbow flexion/extension in different cadences with and without equipment. The sample was consisted of fifteen young women that performed the exercise without equipment (NO-E), with floating equipment in upper and lower limbs (FLO-LLs/ULs) and with resistive equipment in upper and lower limbs (RES-LLs/ULs) at three cadences (80 bpm, 100 bpm and maximal effort). For submaximal cadences the exercise was performed during 4 min and during 15 s at maximal effort in each situation. The results were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA (factors: cadence, situation, phase of movement) with the Bonferroni correction for post-hoc comparisons (p < 0,05) (SPSS vs 15.0). The heart rate and oxygen uptake showed significant differences between FLO-LLs/ULs and RES-LLs/ULs compared with NO-E and higher values of these variables was found in the situations with equipment. In addition, the results for cardirespiratory responses demonstrated significant difference between submaximal cadences (80 and 100 bpm) with higher values of heart rate and oxygen uptake at 100 bpm. For the range of motion significant differences between cadences was showed with higher values of this variable for hip and knee according to the increment of the cadence. However, the range of motion for elbow decreased with the increment of the cadence. The angular velocity for elbow, hip and knee presented significant differences between cadences with higher values at maximal effort. Besides, the angular velocity for hip was minor in the situations FLU-LLs/Uls and RES-LLs/ULs compared with NO-E. For neuromucular responses no significant differences were showed between situations, except the percentage of maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC) for triceps brachii that was major in FLO-LLs/ULs. Between the different submaximal cadences no significant differences was found for all muscles analyzed, however, between these submaximal cadences and maximal effort were found significant differences with higher values of the %MVC at maximal effort. The unique %MVC that demonstrated significant differences between all cadences analyzed in this study was for biceps femoris. Between the phases of movement (flexion and extension) no significant difference was showed for all muscles investigated, except for the %MVC for rectus femoris that was higher in extension phase. In conclusion, the stationary running with the elbow flexion/extension presented higher cardiorespiratory responses with equipment (floating and resistive) and also with the enhance at the cadence of execution. Nevertheless, neuromuscular responses showed no significant difference between submaximal cadences, but these responses were significantly higher at maximal effort.