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Biomechanics
| Biomechanics research at the University
of Delaware covers many areas including musculoskeletal
modeling, prosthetic design, respiratory analysis, neural
control, and simulation of human movement with applications
in sports medicine, physical therapy and orthopedics.
Research in these areas is generally done in collaboration
with other researchers from the biomedical industry, local
hospitals such as the A. I. du Pont Hospital for Children,
nearby medical schools such as Thomas Jefferson Medical
School and the University of Pennsylvania, and/or other
departments on campus such as Physical
Therapy, Health,
Nutrition and Exercise Science, and Computer
Science. In addition, many faculty members have appointments
in the interdisciplinary Biomechanics
and Movement Science Program and are members of the
Center for Biomedical
Engineering Research (CBER). |
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Musculoskeletal Modeling
Using biomechanical computer graphics models and medical imaging techniques, researchers are examining musculoskeletal disorders such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis of the wrist and osteoarthritis of the knee. In addition, assistive robotics are being developed to aid in surgical procedures and rehabilitation. Finally, models of muscle dynamics are being used to study muscle coordination, fatigue and functional electrical stimulation.
Prosthetic Design
The use of composite material is being explored for artificial hip joint design. Composite materials |
allow the stiffness of the artificial joint to match that of the human bone, which eliminates some of the problems that often lead to loosening and failure of implants.
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Respiratory Analysis
Using fluid mechanics and medical imaging methods, department researchers are able to model the air flow in the nasopharynx and lungs for specific patients. Of particular interest is the application of this work to the study of sleep disorders such as apnea and the transport of air pollutants in the lungs.
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Neural Control
Department researchers are studying how the nervous system controls muscles in the limbs in order to better understand impaired muscle coordination and spasticity due to cerebral palsy or stroke. In addition, by coupling electromyographic recordings with the aforementioned musculoskeletal models, they are developing virtual reality models of the human arm, which can be used to study neural control mechanisms.
Sports Medicine
Knee-joint stability in patients with knee ligament disorders is being examined. Many injured patients use their muscles differently from unimpaired subjects. Researchers are using biomechanical methods to predict the outcomes of patients with ligament injuries.
CBER
The Center for Biomedical Engineering Research is an interdisciplinary center administered through the Department of Mechanical Engineering. CBER's mission is to provide engineering science and clinical technology to reduce the impact of disease on the everyday life of individuals. It was created to provide an appropriate forum and infrastructure to promote the interaction of researchers from the University and the medical community. As such, it serves as a research umbrella under which researchers from a variety of fields can collaborate.
Which faculty members are doing research in this area? Take a look at the Faculty Research Matrix to find out.
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