• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.285-294
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• 2021

This study developed a responsive healthcare system that users can easily use in real life to prevent turtle neck syndrome by posture correction. We propose a system that naturally induces direct posture improvement by adjusting the height with a responsive cradle through a turtle neck discrimination algorithm detecting the turtle neck posture in real time using a webcam. The turtle neck algorithm was developed based on machine learning, using the points that the distance relationship between the jaw line and the shoulder varies depending on the posture. For the younger age group, which is particularly problematic due to the increase in the use of IT devices, image data in different situations according to the height and posture of the cradle was collected and learned as a support vector machine classifier. In addition, a height-adjustable cradle that can support a laptop has been created and expanded into a responsive cradle that can be controlled with software by interlocking with the Arduino. Therefore, this service enables posture correction of many modern people suffering from turtle neck syndrome and will become an essential platform in the increasing online environment in the non-contact era.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2020

Background: Because a forward-leaning posture can cause increased back muscle activity and pain. Therefore, an innovative method to reduce back muscle activity and pain is required. Objects: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a head support on muscle activity and pain in a forward-leaning posture. Methods: A total of 14 male and 16 female students (average age, 21.65 ± 2.37 years; height, 166.15 ± 7.90 cm; and weight, 60.65 ± 9.00 kg) were recruited for the experiment. Two of them were excluded due to musculoskeletal disorders. The muscle activity and pain in the forward-leaning posture were assessed while participants washed dishes for 7 minutes with and without a head support. The condition of using a head support was randomly performed with a 5-minutes break. To confirm a lumbar flexion angle of 30° during the experiment, myoVIDEO was used, and surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activity. Pain was assessed using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the data, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar erector spinae muscle activities significantly decreased with the use of the head support, but there was no significant change in the gluteus maximus. There was a significant decrease in the VAS score for the lumbar erector spinae (p < 0.05), but there was no significant change in the VAS score for the cervical region. Conclusion: The use of a head support in a forward-leaning posture reduced cervical, thoracic, and lumbar erector muscle activity and pain. Therefore, it could be recommended during working in a forward-leaning posture, such as during dishwashing, cooking, and working as a factory employee.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.265-281
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• 2022

Purpose: Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by the rapid growth of the musculoskeletal system, which is important for maintaining correct posture. Incorrect posture, lack of exercise, and reduced physical activity can cause spine deformities and affect lifelong health. This study was designed to evaluate the application and effect of a program for improving adolescents' musculoskeletal health. Methods: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted with 13 male and 20 female middle and high school students, with an average age of 15.39 years. Their general characteristics and physical measurements were obtained. The program consisted of group exercises (60 minutes, once per week), gait pattern monitoring, and online communication. A paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to examine the program's effect. Results: Overall posture habits improved, and the total musculoskeletal index decreased; however, these results were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The devised program was effective in improving musculoskeletal imbalance. Therefore, effective programs and health devices should be developed to help adolescents maintain correct posture and encourage and support continuous participation in such programs.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.68-79
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• 2014

Human model simulation has been widely used in various industrial areas such as ergonomic design, product evaluation and characteristic analysis of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, the process of building digital human models and capturing their behaviors requires many costly and time-consuming fabrication iterations. To overcome the limitations of this expensive and time-consuming process, many studies have recently presented a markerless motion capture approach that reconstructs the time-varying skeletal motions from optical devices. However, the drawback of the markerless motion capture approach is that the phenomenon of occlusion of motion data occurs in real-time human simulation. In this study, we propose a systematic method of discriminating missing or inaccurate motion data due to motion occlusion and interpolating a sequence of motion frames captured by a markerless depth camera.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2024

Background: Using wearable passive back-support exoskeletons in workplace has attracted attention as devices that support the posture of workers, enhance their physical capabilities, and reduce physical risk factors. Objects: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a wearable passive back-support exoskeleton on the activity of the erector spinae muscles during lifting tasks at various heights. Methods: Twenty healthy adult males were selected as subjects. Electromyography (EMG) was used to assess the activity of the erector spinae muscles while performing lifting tasks at three distinct heights (30, 40, and 50 cm), with and without the application of the Wearable Passive Back Support Exoskeleton. EMG data were gathered before and after the application of the orthosis. Results: The use of the Wearable Passive Back Support Exoskeleton resulted in a significant decrease in muscle activity when lifting a 10 kg object from heights of 30 and 40 cm (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant reduction in muscle activity when lifting from a height of 50 cm compared with that at lower heights (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of a wearable passive back-support exoskeleton led to a decrease in the activity of the erector spinae muscles during lifting tasks, irrespective of the object's height. Our results suggest that the orthosis we tested may help decrease risk of lower back injuries during lifting.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.405-411
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• 2022

Korea's long-term care insurance for the elderly, which started in 2008, is a borrowed one from gaeho insurance, which started eight years earlier. Both countries have a policy of welfare equipment benefit systems to support the lives of the elderly who are intellectually and mentally weakened. In this study, we attempted to compare and examine the welfare equipment items in Korea with those in Japan and find out the characteristics of the items in Korea and Japan. In Korea, loitering-detection device, posture changing devices, and incontinence underwears were registered as welfare devices before Japan, and in Japan, automatic urine disposal systems, wheelchair electric assist device, position converters, and lifts for handicapped person were designated as welfare devices before Korea. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced the designation of the excretion prediction support device as a welfare device. If Korea and Japan cooperate to develop welfare equipment items together, it will be of great help in improving the quality of life of the elderly in both countries in a super-aged society.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.16-32
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• 2024

Background: Exercise equipments and assistive devices for the disabled are being developed, but improvements for usability are still needed. The purpose of this study was to improve and utilize the developed exercise equipment and assistance devices by conducting usability test for people with spinal cord injury. Design: Cross-sectional Study. Methods: Scenarios and usability indicators were derived by conducting a preliminary usability test, 5 non-disabled men and women aged 19 or older. In the scenario, a total of 9 tasks were sequentially performed, including 2 tasks of entry and exit, 5 tasks of assistance devices and weight stack adjustment, and 2 tasks of pre exercise and exercise. The usability indicators were task success (success or fail), execution time (sec), safety, and convenience. For safety, 7 questions (Likert scale, 1~5 point) related to safety, stability and hazard were derived, and for convenience, the system usability scale (SUS score) was used (range: 0~100, 50 percentile rank is 68 point). Results: As a result of the usability test of people with spinal cord injury, there was a large variation among subjects in the task of adjusting the position of the pulley and support in the execution time (11.64~25.44 seconds), and one person failed to adjust the pulley. The safety level showed a lower score (score = 3 points) than other items in the item of entrapment or skin pressure, and in the case of SUS, the average score was 64.5 points, which was close to the acceptable level. Conclusion: Through the usability test, it was confirmed that exercise equipment for the disabled needs improvement in operability, pinching, and pressure, and that it is necessary to develop an assistive device that provides unrestrained posture information (biofeedback) to maintain correct posture during exercise.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

Purpose: The prevalent use of mobile devices may contribute to musculoskeletal disorders, such as forward head posture (FHP), among users. The measurement of the craniovertebral angle (CVA) using photographic images is frequently employed in assessing FHP. Although manual CVA measurement using photographic images is reliable in clinical settings, computer programs or mobile applications to support tele-physical therapy are not yet fully developed. Therefore, in the current study, we propose an automatic method for extracting CVA from photographic images of FHP subjects to facilitate tele-physical therapy. Methods: To develop the automatic CVA measuring computer program, photographic images were obtained from 10 FHP participants. The location information obtained from the markers attached to the tragus and the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra were used as coordinates. Using these coordinates, straight line 1 was generated by connecting the seventh spinous process of the cervical vertebra and the tragus, while straight line 2 was drawn parallel to the coordinate obtained from the seventh spinous process of the cervical vertebra. The arc tangent function was used to calculate the angle between the two straight lines. The automatic CVA measurement computer program utilizing photographic images was developed using MATLAB (ver. 2016b). Results: The results showed that the automatic CVA measurement computer program demonstrated stable repeatability and high accuracy. Conclusion: The proposed approach was able to automatically estimate the CVA using photographic images. The developed computer program can potentially be used for easier and more reliable clinical assessment of FHP.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2009

In this paper, I will report the cases of children who are able to study at kindergarten or elementary school because they learned how to move by themselves using a moving aid before school age, and I will also discuss the development of a mobility device which allows severely disabled preschoolers to practice moving around by themselves safely and easily at home and institutions.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.65-72
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• 2013

This paper describes a finite element analysis (FEA) of the body frame of a subsea robot, Crabster200 (CR200). CR200 has six legs for mobility instead of screw type propellers, which distinguishes it from previous underwater robots such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Another distinguishing characteristic is the body frame, which is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This body frame is designed as a rib cage structure in order to disperse the applied external loads and reduce the weight. The frame should be strong enough to support many devices for exploration and operation underwater. For a reasonable FEA, we carried out specimen tests. Using the obtained material properties, we performed a modal analysis and FEA for CR200 with a ready posture. Finally, this paper presents the FEA results for the CFRP body frame and the compares the characteristics of CFRP with conventional material, aluminum.