Dear Biomch-L readers,
The April 1992 issue of the Journal of Biomechanics has an important paper
from Penn State University on 3-D kinematics of running based on transcuta-
neously implanted marker structures in femur, patella, and tibia. While its
publication has suffered from a rather long delay, there was small chance
that others would do similar work in between. This note is to congratulate
Mario Lafortune and his fellow-volunteers on their work: there are not many
among us who go so far in furthering our field of knowledge!
In the aftermath of the 3-D standardization debate on this list: the model
used by Peter Cavanagh and his students at Penn State's Center for Locomotion
Studies is the Cardanic representation in which only very small amounts of
ab/adduction (floating angle) are reported. Thus, the use of Cardanic angles
in this type of study, with ab/adduction as the floating angle is certainly
appropriate from a differential and error sensitivity point of view.
In a draft proposal from the ISB Standardization and Terminology Committee
circulated at the Zurich Symposium on Clinical Gait Analysis early April, it
is suggested that joint-specific, Cardanic definitions for attitude represen-
tation be proposed by subcommittees to be selected, and that other represen-
tations should be considered only if there is wide-spread support for them.
One of the volunteers of the Penn State study at the time is now chairing the
ISB's Committee on Standardization and Terminology. I look forward to his an-
nouncement of the draft proposal, currently in print for the ISB Newsletter.
hjw.