• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the toe headings on the biomechanics of knee joint in drop landing in an attempt to find the potential risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Seventeen male college students ($20.5{\pm}1.1$ yrs; $175.2{\pm}6.4$ cm; $68.8{\pm}5.8$ kg), having no neuromuscular injury within an year, participated in this study. Three different toe headings such as toe-in (TI), neutral (N), and toe-out (TO) positions were tested. Motion capturing system consisting of eight high speed cameras and two force platforms were used to collect three-dimensional motion data and ground reaction force data during landing. Results indicated joint angles and peak joint moments were significantly affected by the toe headings. TI position produced larger valgus angle due to reduce knee distance in addition to higher flexion and valgus moment than other positions, which was somewhat vulnerable to the potential risk of non-contact ACL injury. TO position caused the largest internal rotation angle with smaller joint moments. Therefore, it is recommended that athletes need to land on the ground with neutral toe-heading position as possible in order to minimize the potential risk of non-contact ACL injury.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.961-968
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• 2013

In this paper, we propose an optimal design for starfish capturing manipulator module with four-bar linkage mechanism. A tool link with compliance is attached on the four-bar linkage, and the tool repeats detaching starfish from the ground and putting it into the storage box. Since the tool is not rigid and the manipulator is operating underwater, the trajectory of the tool tip is determined by its dynamics as well as kinematics. We analyzed the trajectory of the manipulator tool tip by quasi-static analysis considering both kinematics and dynamics. In optimization, the lengths of each link and the tool stiffness are considered as control variables. To maximize the capturing ability, capturing stroke of the four-bar manipulator trajectory is maximized. Reaction force and reaction moment, and other kinematic constraints were considered as inequality constraints.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.731-744
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• 2007

A method for dynamic analysis and design calculation of a Powertrain Mounting System(PMS) including Hydraulic Engine Mounts(HEM) is developed with the aim of controlling powertrain motion and reducing low-frequency vibration in pitch and bounce modes. Here the pitch mode of the powertrain is defined as the mode rotating around the crankshaft of an engine for a transversely mounted powertrain. The powertrain is modeled as a rigid body connected to rigid ground by rubber mounts and/or HEMs. A mount is simplified as a three-dimensional spring with damping elements in its Local Coordinate System(LCS). The relation between force and displacement of each mount in its LCS is usually nonlinear and is simplified as piecewise linear in five ranges in this paper. An equation for estimating displacements of the powertrain center of gravity(C.G.) under static or quasi-static load is developed using Newton's second law, and an iterative algorithm is presented to calculate the displacements. Also an equation for analyzing the dynamic response of the powertrain under ground and engine shake excitations is derived using Newton's second law. Formulae for calculating reaction forces and displacements at each mount are presented. A generic PMS with four rubber mounts or two rubber mounts and two HEMs are used to validate the dynamic analysis and design calculation methods. Calculated displacements of the powertrain C.G. under static or quasi-static loads show that a powertrain motion can meet the displacement limits by properly selecting the stiffness and coordinates of the tuning points of each mount in its LCS using the calculation methods developed in this paper. Simulation results of the dynamic responses of a powertrain C.G. and the reaction forces at mounts demonstrate that resonance peaks can be reduced effectively with HEMs designed on the basis of the proposed methods.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.44-49
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of auditory cues in the form of a metronome on gait initiation (GI) in Parkinson's disease (PD). 2 patients (mean age: 54 yrs) with idiopathic PD participated in the study. All patients (Hoehn and Yahr disability score of 2.0) were tested in the "on" state approximately 1.5 hours following the administration and fully responding to their PD medications. Subjects first initiated walking at self-initiated speeds to determine their cadences. Then, subjects were asked to initiate gait along the walkway while keeping pace with a metronome. The metronome rate (in beats/min) was set at a cadence 85% (slow condition), 100% (normal condition) and 115% (fast condition) of gait for each subject. Subjects were able to increase the speed of GI with faster cadence, but the speed of GI for the slow condition was similar to that of the normal condition. Swing toe-off was 578.3 ms for the fast condition, 709.4 ms for the normal condition and 736.2 ms for the slow condition. Respective times for swing heel-strike were 894.3 ms, 1110.2 ms and 1119.1 ms, and stance toe-off were 1105.4 ms, 1338.5 ms, and 1343.1 ms. Except for stance unloading ground reaction forces were greatest for the fast condition and smallest for the slow condition. It appears that PD patients were able to modulate GRFs and temporal events in response to auditory cues to achieve the peak acceleration force of the swing and stance limb. The findings from this study provided preliminary data, which could be used to investigate how PD patients modulate GRFs and temporal events during GI in response to tasks.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.66-74
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• 2007

The aim of the present study was to investigate age-related differences in stepping behavior in response to sensory perturbations of postural balance. The participants for this study were 2 healthy elderly adults (mean age=76.0) and 2 younger adults (mean age=25.5). Subjects were asked to step over a 10 cm high obstacle at self-paced speed with the right limb to land on the primary target (normal step length) that is 10 cm in diameter. However, if, during movement, the light was illuminated, then the subject had to step on the secondary target (long step length). It was planned that the onset of the light would be prior to peak Fx of swing limb, between swing peak Fx and swing toe-off, and after swing toe-off. In the younger adults these secondary visual cues were provided at mean times of 240 ms (standard deviation (SD)=11), 402 ms (SD=13), and 476 ms (SD=88) following the movement onset. Corresponding mean times for the healthy elderly were 150 ms (SD=67), 352 ms (SD=39), and 562 ms (SD=115). Results showed great changes in both group and visual cue condition in Fx ground reaction forces and temporal events following the swing toe-off. Swing limb acceleration force (Fx) and stance peak Fx1 was much greater in the young adults compared to the older adults. Both young and older adults increased stance peak Fx2 in the visual cue condition compared to normal stepping. There was no difference in stance peak Fx2 between the visual cue conditions in both groups. Similarly, the time to stance peak Fx2 was much longer for the visual cue condition than for the normal stepping. It was not different between the visual cue conditions in the young adults, but in the elderly mid and late cue was much greater than early cue. In addition, time to stance peak Fx2 and swing and stance time were much longer in the older adults compared to the young adults for the visual cue conditions. These results suggest that unlike young adults, elderly adults did not flexibly modify their responses to unexpected changes in step length while stepping over obstacles.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the balance differences between skilled players and less-skilled players during Hakdariseogi motion of Keumgang Poomsae in Taekwondo. To achieve the study goal, total of 10 Taekwondo athletes; 5 skilled players(S, body mass: $67.0{\pm}5.7$ kg, height: $174.0{\pm}4.8$ cm, age: $20.0{\pm}2.0$ yrs) and 5 less-skilled players(LS, body mass: $73.0{\pm}4.9$ kg, height: $176.4{\pm}6.1$ cm, age: $20.8{\pm}1.3$ yrs) participated in this study. A three-dimensional motion analysis with 8 infrared cameras and one force plate whose sampling frequency as 30 Hz and 300 Hz, respectively, were performed. Participants' motion were divided into three phases which were preparation phase(P1), performing phase(P2) and maintaining phase(P3). The range and velocities of COP, the range and RMS of ground reaction torque and displacement between COM and center of BOS of each phase were computed. In this study, at P1 and P3 which were double and single stance, respectively, the range and M-L velocities of COP revealed significantly higher in LS compared with those of S(p<.05). At P2 which was single stance, LS indicated significantly higher in range of COP and ground reaction torque, and M-L velocities of COP than those of S(p<.05). The significantly shorter displacement between COM and center of BOS, however, was found in LS compared with that of S(p<.05). The results from our study indicated that S revealed more stable performance and a better posture control ability during performing Hakdariseogi motion.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analysis the effect of form and hardness of outsoles on the motion of the lower extremity joints and on foot pressure during gait. The subjects were 15 women(mean age, $48.5{\pm}2.4$ years), who had no serious musculoskeletal, coordination, balance or joint/ligament problems within 1 year prior to the study. The pelvic tilt, joint angles at the lower extremities and the vertical ground reaction force(GRF) were compared during gait with 3 types of shoes (A, B, C) by using one-way repeated ANOVA(p<.05). During gait, the peak tilt angle and the range of motion(ROM) of the ankle and knee joints were found to be significantly different among the 3 types of shoes. The type C shoes showed a significantly lower mean second maximum vertical GRF than types A and B. The curved outsoles of type C shoes, which had a form and hardness different from those of A and B, was designed strategically for walking shoes to provide stability to the Additionally, type C induced the dispersion of eccentric pressure and made the center of pressure roll over to the center line of the foot.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.132-139
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the height and insole height upon landing on the lower limb joint angle and muscle activity during maximum ground repulsion in young men. For a male in their twenties, a landing motion was performed with a force plate on a 40cm-high platform by wearing one of 0, 3, 5cm polyurethane insoles per week for a total of 3 weeks. During the landing motion, the joint angle of the lower extremities and the muscle activity of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, anterior tibialis and calf muscles were measured during the maximum ground repulsion. In order to compare the changes in the joint angle and muscle activity of the lower limbs according to the height of the insole, a one-way ANOVA with repetitive factors was performed. As a result of the analysis of the lower limb joint angle, the higher the height of the insole affected the angle of the left ankle joint. As a result of the muscle activity analysis, the higher the height of the insole affected the right anterior tibialis muscle and biceps femoris. It is thought that it is possible to protect the body when landing through sufficient muscle strength increase of the lower limb muscles. As the angle of the affected muscle and lower limb joint may be different depending on the type of insole, it is considered necessary to study it.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.1345-1350
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• 2010

Sit-to-stand movement is a basic movement in daily activities. On the basis of this movement, the biomechanical functions of a person can be evaluated. The study of the joint kinematics, moment, and muscle coordination is necessary to understand the characteristics of the sit-to-stand movement. We have developed a motion-based program for inverse dynamics analysis and the electromyogram-based program for muscle force prediction. The joint kinematics and the kinetic results estimated on the basis of obtained motion data, ground reaction force, and electromyogram signals were compared with those reported in previous studies, and the muscle forces determined by the two methods were compared with each other. The methods and programs developed in this study can be used to understand biomechanics and muscle coordination involved in basic movements in daily activities.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2016

Objective: This purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between dimensionless leg stiffness and kinetic variables during gait performance, and its modulation with body weight. Method: The study sample consisted of 10 young women divided into 2 groups (Control, n=5 and Obese, n=5). Four camcorders (HDR-HC7/HDV 1080i, Sony Corp, Japan) and one force plate (AMTI., USA) were used to analyze the vertical ground reaction force (GRF) variables, center of pressure (COP), low limb joint angle, position of pelvis center and leg lengths during the stance phase of the gait cycle. Results: Our results revealed that the center of mass (COM) displacement velocity along the y-axis was significantly higher in the obese group than that in control subjects. Displacement in the position of the center of the pelvis center (Z-axis) was also significantly higher in the obese group than that in control subjects. In addition, the peak vertical force (PVF) and dimensionless leg stiffness were also significantly higher in the obese group. However, when normalized to the body weight, the PVF did not show a significant between-group difference. When normalized to the leg length, the PVF and stiffness were both lower in the obese group than in control subjects. Conclusion: In the context of performance, we concluded that increased dimensionless leg stiffness during the gait cycle is associated with increased velocity of COM, PVF, and the change in leg lengths (%).