Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Summary of Running Activity Volume (Fore/Aft and Lateral)

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Summary of Running Activity Volume (Fore/Aft and Lateral)

    > The following are summaries of the responses I received concerning the
    > activity volume of a subject on a treadmill. For clarification, when
    > developing specs for equipment, we ensure that a 5th percentile female to
    > a 95th percentile male can use the equipment.
    >
    > Original Posting:
    > Hello Colleagues,
    > Here at the Space Physiology Laboratory we are determining the
    > specifications for a 2nd generation treadmill to be placed on the
    > International Space Station. One of the design criterion concerns the
    > required clearance space of the treadmill to allow the astronauts to run
    > and
    > walk unencumbered. We have completed some literature searches, but have
    > not
    > found any papers or data regarding the motion of the body center of mass
    > and
    > the required clearance for all body segments in the lateral and
    > forward/backward directions. The astronauts will use the treadmill for
    > gait
    > exercise at speeds ranging from 1.5 - 15 mph. We are looking for any
    > suggestions to answer the following questions:
    > 1) What is the maximum distance from the toe of the lead foot at heel
    > strike
    > to the ankle of the back foot at maximum foot back (not necessarily at the
    >
    > time of heel strike)? How much fore/aft displacement of the body COM
    > occurs
    > during normal treadmill running?
    > 2) Concerning elbow abduction (horizontal and frontal), what is the
    > distance
    > from elbow to elbow when each is at maximal horizontal abduction? How much
    >
    > lateral displacement of the body COM occurs during treadmill running?
    > 3) How is gait altered as obstructions are placed lateral to the subject?
    > Is
    > the perception of a nearby object, which theoretically is out of the range
    >
    > of possible contact with the subject, enough to cause an alteration in
    > locomotion? If so, what is a reasonable "cushion" to account for this
    > effect?
    > Any answers or suggestions for any of these issues would be appreciated. I
    >
    > will summarize and post the responses.
    > Thanks,
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > ------
    >
    > What I have is as follows (from my Ph.D. dissertation [Hinrichs, 1982,
    > Upper extremity in running, Penn State]:
    > 1. Body CM range of motion
    > a. In the AP direction the mean cyclic variation was less than 1 cm.
    > However, my runners tended to gain on the treadmill during the single
    > cycle I digitized, and this gain was a full 2 cm on the average. I suppose
    > a restricted area would limit this "forward drift".
    > b. In the ML direction, the side-to-side range of motion of the body CM
    > was also about 1 cm with no systematic drift as noted in the AP direction.
    >
    > 2. Maximum side-to-side "width" from one elbow to the other: I don't have
    > these data. I'd have to go back to the original xyz data and I don't have
    > these handy; they are in the form of binary files that I have not had any
    > luck viewing. However, I do have shoulder abduction angles and it appears
    > that the mean maximum abduction angle is about 30 degrees (occurring
    > during the airborne phase during the forward swing of that arm). At this
    > time the contralateral arm is swinging back and abducted approximately 10
    > degrees. During the mid stance phase, each arm is abducted about 20
    > degrees. If you take shoulder width and arm length to the elbow, you could
    > calculate the distances you want from these data.
    > 3. I have no data on the fore-aft distance needed from one foot to the
    > other. Once again, if I could read my raw xyz files, I could get those
    > data for you.
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -------------
    > I have the armswing data you are asking for either in my dissertation or
    > in the subsequent IJSB/JAB publications. By the way, the correct
    > anatomical description is shoulder abduction (not elbow abduction). You
    > also used the term horizontal abduction. This means something completely
    > different than abduction. Horizontal abduction of the shoulder occurs when
    > moving the arm in a horizontal plane from a point directly forward to a
    > point out to one's side. This doesn't occur much in running. The forward
    > and backward swings do occur with the elbows out to the side (i.e.,
    > shoulder abducted) somewhat. I considered this to be flexion/extension
    > movements of the shoulder (determined by projected angles). I also
    > determined the shoulder abduction angles via projected angles. I can mail
    > you the appropriate pages from my dissertation if you would like. Let me
    > know.
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > ----------------
    > I presented you questions on running on a limited space treadmill to my
    > Applied Biomechanics students this morning and they were intrigued. They
    > though of several things that would impact your question. They realized
    > that space requirements will vary with the size of the astronaut. They
    > also wondered if the low gravity environment will change running
    > technique. We did some quick experimentation and found that most of the
    > students could run comfortably in a 3'x5' box, but there were some
    > question, primarily the psychological question you proposed. The main
    > thing my students want to ask is whether NASA would be interested in
    > funding a study on running compactness and enclosed spaces. They are
    > quite curious. If you see any funding potential, let me know - I have
    > students that would love to do such a study. Thanks.
    >
    >
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > ------------------
    >
    > My suggestion is that you go ahead and take the measurements of the
    > astronauts in the appropriate attire, with a simple movement analysis
    > system
    > such as the one we can provide you with. The system is called KineView and
    > it is based on 2D videography. All you would nee is one portable
    > videocamera
    > for the data collection. You can then analyze the video data in your
    > computer by inserting tools which will enable you to take the measurements
    > you need, such as step lengths, and distance of elbow to elbow. Of course
    > this will depend of the size of each astronaut, therefore, I think it is
    > important that you do not base your solution on previously researched
    > data,
    > but apply it directly to your subjects. You could, knowing the persons
    > height and weight, calculate the location of the COM, and then with the
    > system above described, insert a marker on that location to analyze the
    > displacement.
    > Feel free to contact me or to visit our website (www.kine.is) for further
    > information.
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -----------------
    >
    > Hello John.
    >
    > Your problem is an interesting one. It seems that your approach is
    > reasonable as well. You are, of course, trying to determine the optimal
    > specifications for the treadmill.
    >
    > I think, however, you must not spend too much time re-inventing the wheel.
    > I
    > bet that you could get as good an answer as any you will receive from
    > weeks
    > of literature searches and measurements if you simply go down to your
    > local
    > fitness equipment store and look around. You will probably find many
    > treadmills of varying costs, sizes and shapes. I recommend you find the
    > biggest, clumsiest astronaut you can find, take him to the fitness store
    > with you, and have him run on all of the different treadmills. Ask him
    > what
    > he things about each, and pick the smallest one that he feels comfortable
    > on. Purchase this treadmill and take it back to the lab with you.
    >
    > The above procedure will probably take just a few hours (depending upon
    > the
    > availability of the big, clumsy, perhaps slightly claustrophobic
    > astronaut.
    > A cosmonaut would suffice I am sure). It will take less time, and will
    > cost
    > less than extensive scientific study. With the time and money that you
    > save,
    > you can buy the treamill that you chose, and put it a box made of plywood
    > in
    > your lab. Get the same big clumsy astronaut (or cosmonaut, or reasonable
    > facsimile) to run on the treadmill in the box. Move the walls of the box
    > in,
    > both in front and behind, and on either side of the clumsy astronaut. When
    >
    > he starts to freak out, stop moving the walls in.
    >
    > The method I suggest above is not very scientific. But I'll bet you it
    > will
    > give you the results you need. I expect that all of the rigorous
    > literature
    > searches and anthropometrics databases in the world will not provide the
    > benefit of such a real-life, trial and error approach.
    >
    > I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass. I genuinely think that this
    > approach
    > will serve you well.
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -----------------
    >
    > I recently received an e-mail forward addressing "Running Activity
    > Volume." Currently, at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the
    > biomechanics lab is investigating various kinematic parameters of
    > regularly weighted and unweighted running (using unweighting
    > harnesses). You may be interested in some of the kinematic parameters
    > that we will be analyzing. Our research will provide data concerning
    > stride length; stride time; angular displacement of ankle, knee, and
    > hip angles; torso rotation; torso angle relative to the ground; and
    > vertical movement of the center of mass during treadmill running. Our
    > subject pool consists of 10 male college cross country runners running
    > on a treadmill at 8.6 mph. When doing some preliminary research, I
    > also had a difficult time finding literature on the subject. If any of
    > this information sounds useful to you, I would be glad to help. We
    > have just finished collecting our data and final analysis of the
    > kinematic parameters that I have mentioned above should be completed
    > with the next two weeks. If you desire additional kinematic
    > information than our study will provide, please let me know what those
    > are; it is simply a matter of specifying what data we would like the
    > computer to produce. Hope this helps.
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > -----------------------
    >
    >
    >
    > John DeWitt, M.S.
    > Biomechanist - Exercise Physiology Laboratory
    > Space Physiology & Countermeasures
    > Johnson Space Center
    > Houston, TX 77058
    > 281-483-8939 / 821-483-4181 (fax)
    >

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    To unsubscribe send SIGNOFF BIOMCH-L to LISTSERV@nic.surfnet.nl
    For information and archives: http://isb.ri.ccf.org/biomch-l
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
Working...
X