How do mechanics, neural drive and muscle architecture interact in muscles? This project will determine how an individual person’s muscle activity, muscle structure and mechanical properties, and the local mechanical conditions around the muscle interact as muscles move and deform, by using experiments and personalised computational models that can examine these factors and their interactions concurrently. To achieve this, we will develop novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to measure the m ....How do mechanics, neural drive and muscle architecture interact in muscles? This project will determine how an individual person’s muscle activity, muscle structure and mechanical properties, and the local mechanical conditions around the muscle interact as muscles move and deform, by using experiments and personalised computational models that can examine these factors and their interactions concurrently. To achieve this, we will develop novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to measure the mechanical properties of muscles in humans and methods for modelling muscles. As well as answering fundamental scientific questions about muscle function, these new techniques will provide a platform for studying other muscles, and for future development of muscle training methods and technologies to optimise muscle function.Read moreRead less
Virtual testing of orthopaedic devices as part of the design and development process: strategies to account for patient and surgical variability. Novel computational tools will be developed through this project to help account for patient and surgical variability in the design of orthopaedic implants, such as hip and knee replacements and spinal products. These tools will reduce the design time, give greater insight in implant performance and ultimately lead to safer implants with improved longe ....Virtual testing of orthopaedic devices as part of the design and development process: strategies to account for patient and surgical variability. Novel computational tools will be developed through this project to help account for patient and surgical variability in the design of orthopaedic implants, such as hip and knee replacements and spinal products. These tools will reduce the design time, give greater insight in implant performance and ultimately lead to safer implants with improved longevity.Read moreRead less
Intelligent training (iTraining) for the human Achilles tendon. The project aims to improve understanding of the mechanical environment of the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon plays a crucial role in human motor function and is also a structure that is commonly injured and notoriously difficult to treat. A major barrier to improving Achilles tendon function, preventing tendon injury and enhancing tendon repair is a poor understanding of the mechanical environment of the Achilles tendon durin ....Intelligent training (iTraining) for the human Achilles tendon. The project aims to improve understanding of the mechanical environment of the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon plays a crucial role in human motor function and is also a structure that is commonly injured and notoriously difficult to treat. A major barrier to improving Achilles tendon function, preventing tendon injury and enhancing tendon repair is a poor understanding of the mechanical environment of the Achilles tendon during training and rehabilitation. The project aims to develop a better understanding of the loading conditions that optimise tendon metabolism. Based on this, it then intends to develop new technologies to estimate the mechanical behaviour of the human Achilles tendon in real time based on integrated use of wearable technology, and new training guidelines that will optimise human tendon adaptation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989384
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$233,000.00
Summary
High-speed, three-dimensional, x-ray fluoroscopy for accurate measurement of human joint motion. This proposal addresses one of the most difficult and long-standing problems in the field of biomechanics: How can human joint motion be measured accurately and non-invasively during common activities such as walking, stair ambulation and running? Low-dose, high-speed, three-dimensional, x-ray fluoroscopy provides an excellent solution to this problem and, in so doing, can play a pivotal role in heal ....High-speed, three-dimensional, x-ray fluoroscopy for accurate measurement of human joint motion. This proposal addresses one of the most difficult and long-standing problems in the field of biomechanics: How can human joint motion be measured accurately and non-invasively during common activities such as walking, stair ambulation and running? Low-dose, high-speed, three-dimensional, x-ray fluoroscopy provides an excellent solution to this problem and, in so doing, can play a pivotal role in healthcare, through clinical gait analysis and gait rehabilitation (diagnosis, prevention and treatment of movement disorders); in sports, through the development of personalized training programs for elite athletes; and in entertainment, through the creation of physics-based animations for the video/digital games industry.Read moreRead less
Rheological and Electrical Properties of Biological Soft Tissues. Research on coupling rheological and electrical properties of biological soft tissues and their composites is fundamental to medical and sport sciences, as well as the optimal design and management of smart biomedical devices and bio-microtransducers. This project aims to develop an effective rheological and electrical constitutive law and finite element implementation together with supporting experiments to reveal the novel coupl ....Rheological and Electrical Properties of Biological Soft Tissues. Research on coupling rheological and electrical properties of biological soft tissues and their composites is fundamental to medical and sport sciences, as well as the optimal design and management of smart biomedical devices and bio-microtransducers. This project aims to develop an effective rheological and electrical constitutive law and finite element implementation together with supporting experiments to reveal the novel coupling behaviour of viscoelastic and electric fields of the innovative smart biological soft tissue. These results will provide a guideline for future research in tissue engineering and help Australian biomedical science and industries improve the modern biotransducers and smart biomicro-devices.Read moreRead less
Computational Scaffold Optimisation for Tissue Engineering. Due to exceptional potential, tissue engineering has attracted over US$4.5 billion research and development investment and another US$2.6 billion market capital since 1990. It is important to cement Australia's position in such a highly competitive field. This project aims to develop a novel technology for scaffold-based tissue engineering, which would help Australia lead in the relevant area and increase its competitiveness in the futu ....Computational Scaffold Optimisation for Tissue Engineering. Due to exceptional potential, tissue engineering has attracted over US$4.5 billion research and development investment and another US$2.6 billion market capital since 1990. It is important to cement Australia's position in such a highly competitive field. This project aims to develop a novel technology for scaffold-based tissue engineering, which would help Australia lead in the relevant area and increase its competitiveness in the future global market of biomaterials, tissue products, biomedical software and instruments. An enormous socio-economic benefit to Australia would be a significant improvement in the clinical success rate for our ageing population. Read moreRead less
Nonlinear viscoelastic properties of paediatric soft tissues throughout development. This project will determine how the soft tissues of the human body change during normal development, and how these changes affect their response to mechanical forces. This data will be useful for understanding childhood injury mechanisms, and how diseases affect children's soft tissues.
Measuring large deformation tissue mechanical behaviour in living humans. This project aims to develop new in vivo imaging methods to characterise the nonlinear mechanical behaviour of soft biological tissues, and use them to measure the properties of muscle, liver and adipose tissue in human subjects. Comprehensively characterising the mechanical properties of an individual person’s body tissues in vivo is a long-standing challenge in biomechanics and biomedical engineering. These new methods a ....Measuring large deformation tissue mechanical behaviour in living humans. This project aims to develop new in vivo imaging methods to characterise the nonlinear mechanical behaviour of soft biological tissues, and use them to measure the properties of muscle, liver and adipose tissue in human subjects. Comprehensively characterising the mechanical properties of an individual person’s body tissues in vivo is a long-standing challenge in biomechanics and biomedical engineering. These new methods aim to overcome major imitations of current biomechanical imaging methods, and make new measurements of the nonlinear mechanical properties of muscle, liver and adipose tissues. These techniques may be useful for future diagnostic, biomechanics and mechanobiology applications.Read moreRead less