Portale di Ateneo - En.Unibs.it

Students attending "Elements of Biomechanics, 3credits" have to follow just the lectures marked by the symbol # and not those marked by *

#Introduction

Introduction to the course, what biomechanics is, application fields, (mechanics, medicine, sport, industry).
Planes and points of reference of the human body, nomenclature of the human body, nomenclature of the human motion, conventions to describe the human movements, terminology.

#Models of the human body

Introduction to several models commonly used in human motion analysis (point mass, planar model, 3D model, rigid or flexible bodies, simple joints and real joints). Criteria to choose the more suitable model. Application example: models for the long jump (point mass, mass-spring, 2 masses plus springs and dampers).
Planar models with rigid segments: examples of forces estimation between human body and external environment, joint forces, muscular forces. Effects of posture on forces. Statically indeterminate systems: theory and application, optimization techniques.

#Anthropometry

What anthropometry is, its role in the design and in industrial setting, static problem, classification of anthropometric measures, anthropometric tables, examples of techniques to measure anthropometric data.

#The musculoskeletal system

Muscles: general definitions, muscle's fibers, the sarcomere, motor units, the twitch, muscular activation, the Hill model. Mechanoreceptor: the muscle spindle, the Golgi tendon organ. Electromyography signal. Bases of aerobic and anaerobic power generation. The human joints: morphological and kinematic classification; the cartilage, the synovial fluid and lubrification mechanisms, ligaments, tendons, meniscus. Upper and lower limbs: skeletal structure, main joints' kinematics and morphology, muscles.

*The nervous system

Bases on the organization of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Working principle of neurons and of the main force sensors in the human body.

#Systems for the measure and the analysis of the movement

Basic instrumentation: electro-goniometers, force cells, accelerometers. Classical stereo-photogrammetric instrumentation and force platform. Functional aspects, working principle, active and passive markers, 2D and 3D motion reconstruction (Direct Linear Transform, epipolar equations). Movements of markers and body. Analysis of data series, interpolation, filtering, smoothing. Kinematics and dynamics. Application examples: cycling, tennis, fencing.

*Gait analysis

Description of the step cycle, joints' movement and moments. Kinematics and dynamics planar models, joint and muscle forces.

*Introduction to the prostheses

Prosthesis classification (endoprosthesis, artificial limbs, external fixations). General characteristics of prosthesis (functionality, biocompatibility, comfort, safety, time duration,...). Some examples: knee prosthesis, polycentric prosthesis, endoprosthesis, hip prosthesis.

*Mechanical behaviour of the biological tissue

Bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments. Bone structure, bone remodelling.

*Examples of sport biomechanics (just partially for #)

Long jump, Cycling, Alpine sky, tennis.