The objective of this dissertation is to develop and test a predictive model for the
passive kinematics of human joints based on the energy minimization principle. To
pursue this goal, the tibio-talar joint is chosen as a reference joint, for the reduced
number of bones involved and its simplicity, if compared with other sinovial joints
such as the knee or the wrist.
Starting from the knowledge of the articular surface shapes, the spatial trajectory
of passive motion is obtained as the envelop of joint configurations that
maximize the surfaces congruence. An increase in joint congruence corresponds
to an improved capability of distributing an applied load, allowing the joint to attain
a better strength with less material. Thus, joint congruence maximization is a
simple geometric way to capture the idea of joint energy minimization.
The results obtained are validated against in vitro measured trajectories. Preliminary
comparison provide strong support for the predictions of the theoretical
model.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unibo.it/oai:amsdottorato.cib.unibo.it:2765 |
| Date | 11 May 2010 |
| Creators | Conconi, Michele <1979> |
| Contributors | Parenti Castelli, Vincenzo |
| Publisher | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna |
| Source Sets | Università di Bologna |
| Language | Italian |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral Thesis, PeerReviewed |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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