• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1250-1258
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• 1997

This paper reports on the development of a new foot for a quadrupedal jointed-leg type walking robot. The foot has 2 toes, one at the front and the other at the rear side, for stable landing on uneven ground by point contact. The toes can move up and down independantly, guided by double-wishbone shaped parallel links which enable the lower leg to rotate with respect to a remote center on the ground surface. The motion of each toe is damped by a hydropneumatic shock absorber integrated in the foot in order to absorb the dynamic landing shock. Furthermore, the new foot can reduce the maximum hip joint drive torque by shortening the moment arm length between the hip joint and the landing force vector on the ground. Intensive experiments were carried out in this study by using a one-leg walking model to investigate the soft landing performance of the foot which could be hardly offered by conventional robot feet such as a flat plate with a gimbal type ankle joint. And it was confirmed that the hip joint torque of the leg walking on the flat surface could be reduced remarkably by using the new foot.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.39-52
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• 2016

Objective: This paper investigates gait changes according to different heel heights and speeds, and the interaction between the effects of the heel height and the speed during walking on stride parameters and joint angles. Furthermore, the relationship among heel height, speed and gait variables is investigated using linear regression. Background: Gait changes by heel height or speed have been studied respectively, but has not been reported whether there is an interaction effect between heel height and speed. It would be necessary to understand how gait changes when a person wears heels in different heights at various speeds, for example, high-heeled walking at fast speed, since it may cause unusual gait patterns and musculoskeletal disorders. Method: Ten females were asked to walk at five fixed cadences (94, 106, 118, 130 and 142 steps/min.) wearing three shoes with different heel heights (1, 5.4 and 9.8cm). Nineteen gait variables were analyzed for stride parameters and joint angles using two-way repeated measure analysis of variance and regression analysis. Results: Both heel height and speed affect movement of ankle, knee, spine and elbow joint, as well as stride length and Double/Single support time ratio. However, there is no significant interaction effect between heel height and speed. The regression result shows linear relationships of gait variables with heel height and speed. Conclusion: Heel height and speed independently affect stride parameters and joint angles without a significant interaction, so the gait variables are linearly amplified or diminished by the two factors. Application: Walking in high heels at fast speed should be careful for musculoskeletal disorders, since the amplified movement of knee and spine joint can lead to increased moment. Also, the result might give insight for animators or engineers to generate walking motion with high heels at various speeds.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.45-61
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• 2001

본 연구는 보행주기 동안 정상인과 당뇨병성 족부궤양 환자의 족관절 운동역학적 변수와 족관절 근육들의 근활성도에 차이가 있는지 알아보기 위하여 실시하였다. 본 연구의 대상자는 당뇨병성 족부궤양이 있는 환자 9명(남자: 6명, 여자: 3명)과 성, 연령, 체중으로 짝짓기(matching)시킨 대조군 9명이었다. 3차원 동작분석기, 힘판, 표면 근전도를 이용하여, 보행주기 동안 족관절의 관절가동범위, 모멘트(moment), 일률(power), 그리고 내측가자미근, 전경골근, 비복근의 근수축 개시시간(onset time)과 종료시간(cessation time)을 측정하였다. 정상군과 비교하여 당뇨병성 족부궤양군의 보행속도는 느렸고, 입각기 기간이 길었으며, 족관절의 가동범위가 적었고, 족관절 최대 족저굴곡 모멘트와 일률이 정상군에서보다 유의하게 낮았다. 보행주기에서 당뇨병성 족부궤양군에서 내측 가자미근과 비복근의 근수축 개시시간은 유의하게 빨랐으며, 전경골근과 비복근의 근수축 종료시간은 유의하게 지연되었다. 당뇨병성 족부궤양 환자군의 족관절 근육에서 동시수축(co-contraction)이 증가되고, 보행속도가 느리며, 입각기 기간이 증가하였다. 이러한 보행특성의 차이는 족부 감각손실에 따른 보행의 안정성을 유지하기 위한 보행전략 때문으로 판단된다. 앞으로 이러한 비정상적인 보행특성이 당뇨병성 족부궤양에서 발생하는 비정상적인 족저부 압력분포과 족부궤양 발생과 어떤 관계가 있는지 알아보는 연구가 필요할 것이다.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to suggest a proper tread of stairs using kinematic factors and moments of the lower-limb joints in the stair decent with the 3 different treads with boimechanical method in ergonomics. 9 subjects (body masses; $59.41{\pm}7.49$, $64.03{\pm}6.65$, $67.26:{\pm}7.58$, heights; $160.50{\pm}6.35$ ages; $31.22{\pm}2.99$; parity; $1.67{\pm}0.71$) participated in three experiments that were divided by physiological symptoms (the early (0-15 weeks), middle (16-27 weeks) and last (18-39 weeks). and they walked at self-selected pace on 4 staircases 3 trials. As extending the pregnancy period, cadence was shorter but cycle time were longer more and more. As extending treads of stair decent during pregnancy, speed, stride lengths and cycle time were increased. As extending the treads of stair decent, hip and ankle moments increased but knee moments decreased in sagittal plane. There were increasing or decreasing of moments by means of treads. These changes may account for relation between the treads of stair and moments in pregnant women. The main changes of pregnant women were joint moments and kinematic factors during pregnancy period because pregnancy makes them physical changes. It is possible that joints have connection with compensation each other to maximize stability and to control gait motion. In conclusion, we suggest that the tread of stair is longer than 26cm tread. and exercise programs to improve muscle activity were necessary where joint moments were small.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.105-111
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that difference in forefoot of shoe flexibility during the quick lunge from a jump smashing on the lower limbs and the plantar pressure distribution. For this 10 elite badminton players with over 10 years experience and right handed participated. Two kinds of badminton shoes were selected and tested mechanical testing for the forefoot flexibility. Motion analysis, ground reaction forces and plantar pressure distribution were recorded. It was required to conduct lunge movement after jumping smashing as possible as high. Photo sensor was located in 3 meter away from standing position and its height was 40 cm. Subjects were conducted to return original position after touching the sensor as under clear movement as possible as fast. Forefoot stiffness had an effect on shoe peak bending degree and peak bending angular velocity in propulsion phase. Forefoot flexibility had an effect on ankle plantar flexion and knee flexion moment. It appears that joint power on lower limb and peak plantar pressure were not influenced by the flexibility of shoes.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to identify effects of restricted trunk motion on the performances of the maximum vertical jump. Ten healthy males performed normal countermovement jump(NJ) and control type of countermovement jump(CJ), in which subjects were required to restrict trunk motion as much as possible. The results showed 10% decreases of jumping height in CJ compared with NJ, which is primarily due to vertical velocity at take off. NJ with trunk motion produced significantly higher GRF than RJ, especially at the early part of propulsive phase, which resulted from increased moments on hip joint. And these were considered the main factors of performance enhancement in NJ. There were no significant differences in the mechanical outputs on knee and ankle joint between NJ and RJ. With trunk motion restricted, knee joint alternatively played a main role for propulsion, which is contrary on the normal jump that hip joint was highest contributor. And restricted trunk motion resulted in the changes of coordination pattern, knee-hip extension timing compared with normal proximal-distal sequence. In conclusion these results suggest that trunk motion is effective strategy for increasing performance of vertical jumping.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.970-977
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate biomechanical factors on key motions in K-Pop dance(BoA's No.1). A professional choreographer who was BoA's K-Pop No. 1 dance participated in this study. ROMs(range of motion) of shoulder and elbow joints in AP direction were greater than other joints. Those of trunk and pelvis in ML direction were the greatest of other directions. The velocity of CoG in SI direction was greater than other directions, and also max angular velocities of shoulder, elbow, knee, and hip joints in AP direction were the greatest of all directions. But ROM and angular velocity of ankle joint were very small. Max rotational powers of shoulder and knee joints were larger than other joints.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 2011

The femoral nerve innervates the quadriceps muscles and its dermatome supplies anteromedial thigh and medial foot. Paralysis of the quadriceps muscles due to the injury of the femoral nerve results in disability of the knee joint extension and loss of sensory of the thigh. A child could walk independently even though he had injured his femoral nerve severely due to the penetrating wound in the medial thigh. We measured and analyzed his gait performance in order to find the mechanisms that enabled him to walk independently. The child was eleven-year-old boy and he could not extend his knee voluntarily at all during a month after the injury. His gait analysis was performed five times (GA1~GA5) for sixteen months. His temporal-spatial parameters were not significantly different after the GA2 or GA3 test, and significant asymmetry was not observed except the single support time in GA1 results. The Lower limb joint angles in affected side had large differences in GA1 compared with the normal normative patterns. There were little knee joint flexion and extension motion during the stance phase in GA1 The maximum ankle plantar/dorsi flexion angles and the maximum knee extension angles were different from the normal values in the sound side. Asymmetries of the joint angles were analyzed by using the peak values. Significant asymmetries were found in GA1with seven parameters (ankle: peak planter flexion angle in stance phase, range of motion; ROM, knee: peak flexion angles during both stance and swing phase, ROM, hip: peak extension angle, ROM) while only two parameters (maximum hip extension angle and ROM of hip joint) had significant differences in GA5. The mid-stance valleys were not observed in both right and left sides of vertical ground reaction force (GRF) in the GA1, GA2. The loading response peak was far larger than the terminal stance peak of vertical ground reaction curve in the affected side of the GA3, GA4, GA5. The measured joint moment curves of the GA1, GA2, GA3 had large deviations and all of kinetic results had differences with the normal patterns. EMG signals described an absence of the rectus femoris muscle activity in the GA1 and GA2 (affected side). The EMG signals were detected in the GA3 and GA4 but their patterns were not normal yet, then their normal patterns were detected in the GA5. Through these following gait analysis of a child who had selective injuries on the knee extensor muscles, we could verify the actual functions of the knee extensor muscles during gait, and we also could observe his recovery and asymmetry with quantitative data during his rehabilitation.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2012

The current research examines the aching part and the muscle activity that happens during scaling practice subject to 20 dental hygienic students and therefore propose a basic data according to the working attitude of the Dental Hygienist. During the scaling we used the free EMG (BTS Inc., Milan, Italy) to measure the muscle activity, and in order to check the musculoskeletal pain area we used the Nordic-style questionnaire, and the measured research results are as following: At the moment of scaling according to posture the occurrence of the pain showed no difference among the groups elbow, back, leg, knee, ankle/foot but in the neck, shoulder, wrist/hand, waist showed a high difference in the degree of pain according to posture. Results from measuring the muscular activity according to posture, in the group that had a good posture, the trapezius and brachial muscles showed a change according to time, and in the group that had a bad posture a high muscle activity was shown in larynx, trapezius and brachial muscles. In the muscle activity, the changing aspect between the two parts, the group that fulfilled a scaling in a good posture showed a low muscle activity, but in the group that fulfilled the scaling in a bad posture the muscle activity increased excessively. Therefore we examined that when fulfilling a scaling maintaining a bad posture can help in using more effectively the activity of the muscle, in the future I think there is a need to raise the office efficiency by subjecting to dental hyginiest that are in the clinics and performing experiments.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to clarify the differences between the K-pop and B-boy dancers'characteristics based on the biomechanical variables through the isolation movement by independent variable t-test using spss 18.0. As a result, first, the CoM composite displacement of the K-pop dancer was larger than that of the B-boy(p<.05) in phase1 and phase2. Second, in phase2 and phase3, the movement speed of CoM was faster in K-pop dancer than in B-boy(p<.05). Third, in phase1, the planar angle between the body and pelvis was greater in the right planar angle of the K-pop dancer, while in the phase2 and phase3, the left planar angle of the B-boy was larger(p<.05). Fourth, the composite hip joint moments of B-boy were larger than those of K-pop in phase1, However, K-pop dancers showed greater moments in phase2, phase3 and phase4, and ankle joint moments in phase3(p<.05). Thus, even with the same isolation, we found that K-pop and B-boy dancers performed differently.