Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to ....Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to bring the oars to their final configurations. A range of specifications will result from matching the oar to different body types with emphasis on appropriate designs for women rowers.Read moreRead less
Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and ....Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and moments experienced on-water. Rowing simulator agreement with this specification will be tested, modifications suggested for their improvement, and one modified and retested. Simulator rowing will be computer-modelled and the potential for injury assessed.Read moreRead less
Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD ....Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD students and a research associate.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
Evaluating the impact of obesity on knee load over time in those who have undergone optimal surgical re-alignment after total knee replacement . This project investigates the impact of obesity on alignment and knee load over time in those who have undergone total knee replacement. This information is critical for understanding whether obesity results in increasing knee load after surgery which can lead to more rapid wearing of the knee surfaces and an earlier need for revision surgery.
Foot-down not ground-up: moving from splint to natural models for children's shoe design. We will provide much-needed knowledge of the impact of children's footwear on their musculoskeletal development, by conducting rigorous experimental comparisons of a standard school shoe, a custom-built 'midfoot flexing' shoe, bare feet, and a new school shoe design concept developed by university researchers to enhance rather than disrupt natural foot function. The innovation will make Bata Australia the f ....Foot-down not ground-up: moving from splint to natural models for children's shoe design. We will provide much-needed knowledge of the impact of children's footwear on their musculoskeletal development, by conducting rigorous experimental comparisons of a standard school shoe, a custom-built 'midfoot flexing' shoe, bare feet, and a new school shoe design concept developed by university researchers to enhance rather than disrupt natural foot function. The innovation will make Bata Australia the first manufacturer to embrace evidence-based shoe design, and will be an opportunity for the Company to provide global leadership in the field. Our advances will inform health professionals, manufacturers and parents in the task of improving the musculoskeletal health of young Australians.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
Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our id ....Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our identification of mismatches between evidence of the relationship between shoes and function and current stakeholder knowledge and decision-making, we will make recommendations for how shoe manufacturers and health professionals can promote healthy feet in children.Read moreRead less
Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed ....Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed footwear for pubertal girls may improve movement patterns, decrease the likelihood of musculoskeletal injury and improve physical activity participation rates. Project outcomes may lead to the development of such footwear, and are also anticipated to expand our understanding of female developmental biomechanics.Read moreRead less
Athletic footwear for reducing knee loads in girls and women. This project aims to develop a novel athletic shoe that can reduce harmful knee loads during sport in adolescent girls and young women. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their knees and lower limbs - particularly in high-demand tasks like jumping. The project will develop a new ASICS shoe that will be ‘field-tested’ during sporting activity with high ACL injury risk (netball) to evaluate ....Athletic footwear for reducing knee loads in girls and women. This project aims to develop a novel athletic shoe that can reduce harmful knee loads during sport in adolescent girls and young women. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their knees and lower limbs - particularly in high-demand tasks like jumping. The project will develop a new ASICS shoe that will be ‘field-tested’ during sporting activity with high ACL injury risk (netball) to evaluate its effect on tibial shock (in-field surrogate measure of knee load) and player comfort compared to a conventional shoe. Expected outcomes include reduced healthcare costs associated with the treatment of serious knee injury, including surgical reconstruction and early-onset knee osteoarthritis.Read moreRead less