Browse Topic: Body regions
The return to Earth is a rough ride for astronauts, from the violent turbulence of atmospheric entry to a jarring landing. Hitting the ground in a Soyuz capsule is the equivalent of driving a car backward into a brick wall at 20 mph, and it’s resulting in more head and neck injuries than NASA computer models predicted. To collect more data, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston commissioned a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project to develop a wearable data recorder for astronaut spacesuits. One result, created by Diversified Technical Systems Inc. (DTS), is a miniature commercial device that now collects and transmits data for any application from airplane test flights to tracking high-value shipments.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a programmable steering wheel called the Tri-Rotor, which allows an astronaut the ability to easily operate a vehicle on the surface of a planet or moon despite the limited dexterity of their spacesuit. This technology was originally conceived for the operation of a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to improve upon previous Apollo-era hand controllers. In re-evaluating the kinematics of the spacesuit, such as the rotatable wrist joint and the constant volume shoulder joint, engineers developed an enhanced and programmable hand controller that became the Tri-Rotor.
The effect of seat belt misuse and/or misrouting is important to consider because it can influence occupant kinematics, reduce restraint effectiveness, and increase injury risk. As new seatbelt technologies are introduced, it is important to understand the prevalence of seatbelt misuse. This type of information is scarce due to limitations in available field data coding, such as in NASS-CDS and FARS. One explanation may be partially due to assessment complexity in identifying misuse and/or misrouting. An objective of this study was to first identify types of lap-shoulder belt misuse/misrouting and associated injury patterns from a literature review. Nine belt misuse/misrouting scenarios were identified including shoulder belt only, lap belt only, or shoulder belt under the arm, for example, while belt misrouting included lap belt on the abdomen, shoulder belt above the breasts, or shoulder belt on the neck. Next, the literature review identified various methods used to assess misuse
Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds.
Recent successes in cultivating human heart tissue, knee cartilage, and pharmaceutical crystals in space have relied on technology that was initially developed decades ago with support from NASA.
A team led by University of Maryland computer scientists invented a camera mechanism that improves how robots see and react to the world around them. Inspired by how the human eye works, their innovative camera system mimics the tiny involuntary movements used by the eye to maintain clear and stable vision over time. The team’s prototyping and testing of the camera — called the Artificial Microsaccade-Enhanced Event Camera (AMI-EV) — was detailed in a paper published in the journal Science Robotics in May 2024.
Ongoing research in simulated vehicle crash environments utilizes postmortem human subjects (PMHS) as the closest approximation to live human response. Lumbar spine injuries are common in vehicle crashes, necessitating accurate assessment methods of lumbar loads. This study evaluates the effectiveness of lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) pressure sensors in detecting various loading conditions on component PMHS lumbar spines, aiming to develop a reliable insertion method and assess sensor performance under different loading scenarios. The pressure sensor insertion method development involved selecting a suitable sensor, using a customized needle-insertion technique, and precisely placing sensors into the center of lumbar IVDs. Computed tomography (CT) scans were utilized to determine insertion depth and location, ensuring minimal tissue disruption during sensor insertion. Tests were conducted on PMHS lumbar spines using a robotic test system for controlled loading in flexion
Rear-end vehicle collisions may lead to whiplash-associated disorders (WADs), comprising a variety of neck and head pain responses. Specifically, increased axial head rotation has been associated with the risk of injuries during rear impacts, while specific tissues, including the capsular ligaments, have been implicated in pain response. Given the limited experimental data for out-of-position rear impact scenarios, computational human body models (HBMs) can inform the potential for tissue-level injury. Previous studies have considered external boundary conditions to reposition the head axially but were limited in reproducing a biofidelic movement. The objectives of this study were to implement a novel head repositioning method to achieve targeted axial rotations and evaluate the tissue-level response for a rear impact condition. The repositioning method used reference geometries to rotate the head to three target positions, showing good correspondence to reported interverbal rotations
Thorax injuries are a significant cause of mortality in automotive crashes, with varying susceptibility across sex and age demographics. Finite element (FE) human body models (HBMs) offer the potential for injury outcome analysis by incorporating anthropometric variations. Recent advancements in material constitutive models, cortical bone fracture and continuum damage mechanics model (CFraC) and an orthotropic trabecular bone model (OrthoT), offer the opportunity to further improve rib models. In this study, the CFraC and OrthoT material modes, coupled with age-specific material properties, were progressively implemented to the Global Human Body Model Consortium small female 6th rib. Four distinct 6th rib models were developed and compared against sex and age-specific experimental data. The updated material models notably refined the predictions of force–displacement responses, aligning them more closely with the experimental averages. The CFraC model significantly improved the
Researchers have succeeded in adding finger straightening or extension to soft rehabilitation gloves through a novel foldable pouch actuator (FPA) without compromising the already existing functionality of finger bending or flexion.
Road safety remains a critical concern globally, with millions of lives lost annually due to road accidents. In India alone, the year 2021 witnessed over 4,12,432 road accidents resulting in 1,53,972 fatalities and 3,84,448 injuries. The age group most affected by these accidents is 18-45 years, constituting approximately 67% of total deaths. Factors such as speeding, distracted driving, and neglect to use safety gear increases the severity of these incidents. This paper presents a novel approach to address these challenges by introducing a driver safety system aimed at promoting good driving etiquette and mitigating distractions and fatigue. Leveraging Raspberry Pi and computer vision techniques, the system monitors driver behavior in real-time, including head position, eye blinks, mouth opening and closing, hand position, and internal audio levels to detect signs of distraction and drowsiness. The system operates in both passive and active modes, providing alerts and alarms to the
Most humans rely heavily on our visual abilities to function in the world—we are optically oriented. In the broadest sense, “optics” refers to the study of sight and light. At its foundation, Radiant’s business is all about optics: measuring light and the properties of light in relation to the human eye. Photometry is the science of light according to our visual perception. Colorimetry is the science of color: how our eyes interpret different wavelengths of light.
A team led by University of Maryland computer scientists invented a camera mechanism that improves how robots see and react to the world around them. Inspired by how the human eye works, their innovative camera system mimics the tiny involuntary movements used by the eye to maintain clear and stable vision over time. The team’s prototyping and testing of the camera — called the Artificial Microsaccade-Enhanced Event Camera (AMI-EV) — was detailed in a paper published in the journal Science Robotics in May 2024.
A new groundbreaking “smart glove” is capable of tracking the hand and finger movements of stroke victims during rehabilitation exercises. The glove incorporates a sophisticated network of highly sensitive sensor yarns and pressure sensors that are woven into a comfortable stretchy fabric, enabling it to track, capture, and wirelessly transmit even the smallest hand and finger movements.
Researchers have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots. This brings with it potential benefits to robotic platforms such as increased mobility, self-healing abilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an increasingly lifelike appearance. Taking inspiration from human skin ligaments, the team, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, included special perforations in a robot face, which helped a layer of skin take hold. Their research could be useful in the cosmetics industry and to help train plastic surgeons.
A research paper by scientists at the University of Coimbra proposed a soft robotic hand comprising soft actuator cores and an exoskeleton, featuring a multimaterial design aided by finite element analysis to define the hand geometry and promote finger’s bendability. The new research paper, published on August 8 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented the development, fabrication, and control of a bioinspired soft robotic hand and demonstrated finite element analysis can serve as a valuable tool to support the design and control of the hand’s fingers.
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