How Does The Trunk Influence Intersegmental Coordination During Functional Tasks In Parkinson’s Disease: A Risk Factor For Falls?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,032.00
Summary
Differences in trunk motion during dynamic tasks may provide a mechanism of falling in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. However, objective measures are needed to discern if these differences stem from deficits in motor programming or increased trunk stiffness. This information is critical for developing effective interventions. This project will incorporate innovative techniques to examine how the trunk muscles coordinate movement and control balance during walking in PD.
Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In additio ....Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In addition, much needed Occupational Health & Safety information regarding vehicle rollover crashworthiness, which provide a safe work place environment for professional drivers and employees using vehicles, will be supplied to industry fleet managers, defence and emergency services.Read moreRead less
An autonomously controlled ankle exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation. This project addresses a critical problem in gait rehabilitation; predicting unstable locomotion and designing interventions to augment limb-joint function. The project will develop an autonomous ankle-foot assistive device to actively increase ground clearance when high-risk foot trajectory is detected. Using wearable sensor data, machine learning algorithms will predict high-risk gait and compute an actuator-induced ankle to ....An autonomously controlled ankle exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation. This project addresses a critical problem in gait rehabilitation; predicting unstable locomotion and designing interventions to augment limb-joint function. The project will develop an autonomous ankle-foot assistive device to actively increase ground clearance when high-risk foot trajectory is detected. Using wearable sensor data, machine learning algorithms will predict high-risk gait and compute an actuator-induced ankle torque to maintain safe foot-ground clearance. A wearable autonomous joint-actuation system will contribute significantly to rehabilitation across a range of gait-impaired populations. The project's scientific and technological innovations will provide the opportunity for future developments in assistive technologies. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237400
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,000.00
Summary
Integrated Biomechanics Research Laboratory. This application seeks funding to establish a collaborative biomechanics research laboratory by purchasing a suite of integrated biomechanical equipment to enable three-dimensional bilateral analysis of human physical performance during activities of daily living, work, and leisure. This unique facility will remedy a current deficiency in biomechanical research infrastructure, thereby significantly enhancing research capability and productivity at th ....Integrated Biomechanics Research Laboratory. This application seeks funding to establish a collaborative biomechanics research laboratory by purchasing a suite of integrated biomechanical equipment to enable three-dimensional bilateral analysis of human physical performance during activities of daily living, work, and leisure. This unique facility will remedy a current deficiency in biomechanical research infrastructure, thereby significantly enhancing research capability and productivity at the two collaborating institutions. Establishing this facility is critical given the absence of such a comprehensive resource for use by regional universities and the increasing emphasis on injury prevention and human safety in all spheres of life.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
Predictive Biomechanics for Modelling Gait Stability and Falls Prediction. Efficient, adaptive locomotion is critical to our independence, but it is adversely affected by neuromuscular disorders due to trauma, ageing and other impairments that increase the risk of balance loss and falling. This project investigates the extraordinary possibilities of advancing from the traditional laboratory-based, retrospective, gait research paradigm, to real-world gait monitoring using predictive biomechanics. ....Predictive Biomechanics for Modelling Gait Stability and Falls Prediction. Efficient, adaptive locomotion is critical to our independence, but it is adversely affected by neuromuscular disorders due to trauma, ageing and other impairments that increase the risk of balance loss and falling. This project investigates the extraordinary possibilities of advancing from the traditional laboratory-based, retrospective, gait research paradigm, to real-world gait monitoring using predictive biomechanics. By employing artificial intelligence, wearable sensors' data will predict balance loss and alert the user. The outcome will be fundamental knowledge for developing wearable systems to reduce the catastrophic impact of falls, with public health cost savings and improved quality of life for people with restricted mobility.Read moreRead less
Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowere ....Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowered injury costs provide immediate cost benefits to the nation. Ultimately, in a nation familiar with the high costs of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, the health sector of Australia will be the greatest benefactor of this project.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989476
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Rollover Crash Research Infrastructure Capacity Building. Around 1 in every 3 vehicle occupants die in a crash where the vehicle rolls over. This crash mode also accounts for around 25% of spinal injuries and cost the community around $2.5 billion annually. There are no rollover crash standards or consumer crash tests. The equipment purchased will be used to develop a rollover crashworthiness test protocol that can be adopted by consumer testing groups, to understand the role of fatigue in preci ....Rollover Crash Research Infrastructure Capacity Building. Around 1 in every 3 vehicle occupants die in a crash where the vehicle rolls over. This crash mode also accounts for around 25% of spinal injuries and cost the community around $2.5 billion annually. There are no rollover crash standards or consumer crash tests. The equipment purchased will be used to develop a rollover crashworthiness test protocol that can be adopted by consumer testing groups, to understand the role of fatigue in precipitating rollover crashes, and to develop a driver fatigue metric. It is estimated this research will result in saving around 150 lives, reducing serious spinal and head injuries and save the Australian community around $800 million per annum.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.
Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports ....Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports injuries through improving the efficacy of safety gear, and applications to risk-taking in other health domains, such as patient safety, occupational safety, and transport safety. Through improved methodology, the project should advance international research practice on this controversial topic.Read moreRead less