• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.400-405
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• 2021

In this study, a composite material frame was designed to increase the energy harvesting efficiency of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ribbon harvesters which are installed inside smart shoes. In order to minimize the amount of deformation in the load direction of the frame, it was designed using carbon continuous fiber composites and its complex shaped structure was manufactured using a 3D printer. In order to calculate the amount of deformation of the insole and midsole of the shoes under the condition of the load generated during walking, the insole and midsole were modeled using the distributed spring elements. Using finite element analysis, the elongation of ribbon-type harvesters mounted on smart shoes was calculated during walking. It is expected that the predicted elongation of the harvester can be utilized to increase the energy harvesting efficiency of smart shoes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1115-1123
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• 2007

The foot plays an important role in supporting the body and keeping body balance. An abnormal walking habit breaks the balance of the human body as well as the function of the foot. The foot orthotics which is designed to consider biomechanics effectively distributes the load of the human body on the sole of the foot. In this paper, gait analysis was performed for three male subjects wearing the orthotics. In this study, three male subjects were selected. The experimental apparatus consists of a plantar pressure analysis system and digital EMG system. The gait characteristics are simulated by ADAMS/LifeMOD. The COP (Center of Pressure), EMG and ground reaction force were investigated. As a result of gait analysis, the path of COP was improved and muscle activities were decreased with orthotics on the abnormal walking subjects.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.89-94
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• 2012

This research is to apply the control of neuron networks for the real-time walking control of Multi-articulated robot. Multi-articulated robot is expressed with a complicated mathematical model on account of the mechanic, electric non-linearity which each articulation of mechanism has, and includes an unstable factor in time of walking control. If such a complex expression is included in control operation, it leads to the disadvantage that operation time is lengthened. Thus, if the rapid change of the load or the disturbance is given, it is difficult to fulfill the control of desired performance. This paper proposes a new mode to implement a neural network controller by installing a real object for controlling and an algorithm for this, which can replace the existing method of implementing a neural network controller by utilizing activation function at the output node. The proposed control algorithm generated control signs corresponding to the non-linearity of Multi-articulated robot, which could generate desired motion in real time.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.281-287
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• 1984

In search for a method of evaluating the cardiopulmonary function. 74 male and 33 female volunteers ages $18{\sim}25$ were subjected to this study The subjects walked on a treadmill at speed of 2,4,6 and 8km/hr with 0,5,10,15,20 and 25% grade of inclination, respectively, for a measurement of heart rate and oxygen-pulse. Heart rate was measured every 5 seconds at resting state and during walking by telemetric method using Heart Checker 108 System (Senoh Co., Japan). Oxygen concentration was measured by Douglas bag method collecting expired air for 5 minutes at rest, and for 2 minutes at the end of each walking exercise. Oxygen concentration in an expired air was analyzed with Orzat gas analyser and expressed in terms of STPD. Oxygen-pulse was defined as an amount of oxygen consumed at every heart at a cellular level. The followings were the results obtained from this study. 1. Mean values of oxygen-pulse at resting state was $3.1{\pm}0.11ml/beat$ in male and $2.5{\pm}0.87ml/beat$ in female, respectively. 2. Mean values of oxygen-pulse during treadmill walking were increased in proportion with the load of exercise, namely, the speed and grade of inclination, from minimum of 7.1ml/beat upto maximum of 18.2ml/beat in male and from minimum of 4.2ml/beat upto maximum of 12,7ml/beat in female. 3. Both linear and logarithmic regressional relationships between oxygen-pulse and speed of walking and grade of inclination were observed in both sexes. Predicted values of oxygen-pulse by logarithmic regressional formula on speed and on grade of inclination were better coincided with the measured values than those predicted by the linear regressional formula.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.825-837
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• 2017

This paper describes a novel type of a walking rehabilitation robot that applies robot technologies to crutches used by patients with walking difficulties in the lower body. The primary features of the developed robot are divided into three parts. First, the developed robot is worn on the patient's chest, as opposed to the conventional elbow crutch that is attached to the forearm; hence, it can effectively disperse the patient's weight throughout the width of the chest, and eliminate the concentrated load at the elbow. Furthermore, it allows free arm motion during walking. Second, the developed robot can recognize the walking intention of the patient from the magnitude and direction of the ground reactive forces. This is done using three-axis force sensors attached to the feet of the robot. Third, the robot can perform a stair walking function, which can change vertical movement trajectories in order to step up and down a single stair according to the floor height. Consequently, we experimentally showed that the developed robot can effectively perform walking rehabilitation assistance by perceiving the walking intention of the patient. Moreover we quantitatively verified muscle power assistance by measuring the electromyography (EMG) signals of the muscles of the lower limb.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.283-294
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• 2022

An inerter is a passive mechanical element whose inertance can be thousands of times its own physical mass. This paper discusses the application of an inerter-based passive control system, termed rotational inertial double-tuned mass damper (RIDTMD), to mitigate human-induced floor vibrations. First, the acceleration frequency response function of the floor with an RIDTMD is first derived. It is then employed to determine the optimal design parameters of the RIDTMD using the extended fixed-points technique. Based on a theoretical analysis, design-oriented empirical functions are proposed for the RIDTMD optimal parameters, whose performance for floor vibration control is evaluated by numerical examples, in which three typical human-induced load types are considered: walking, jumping, and bouncing. The results indicate that the applicability and effectiveness of the RIDTMD for human-induced floor vibration control are robust for various load types, load frequencies, and floor natural frequencies. For the same mass ratio, the RIDTMD is better than the TMD in reducing the floor vibration amplitude and improving the effective frequency suppression bandwidth, and for the same vibration suppression effect, the mass of the RIDTMD is much lighter than that of the TMD.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.4 s.44
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• pp.19-28
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• 2005

Long span structures with low natural frequencies such as shopping malls, large offices, and assembly rooms may experience signification dynamic responses due to human activities. In many cases, the group activities are common thing in comparison with the single activity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the responses of building structure subjected to group human loads using mode shapes. For this purpose, equations to estimate the magnitudes ol responses ol structure subjected to group walking loads are derived. And the correlation of loads is verified for identifying the relation of each human load composing of group human loads using two load cells. The method is proposed for evaluating the responses of structure subjected to group loads using mode shapes and correlation function related to each human loads. The effectiveness ol the proposed method is verified analytically using a simple beam and floor and experimentally on a footbridge measuring the structural response induced by group pedestrians for the case of synchronization or not. Results indicate that the amplitudes of group walking loads can be easily estimated if the mode shapes are available, and that the corresponding structural responses can be estimated easily by the simple response measurement using the proposed method.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.363-367
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• 2003

Contact area and pressure are important factors which directly influence a life of knee implants. Since implant's mechanical functions should be experimentally evaluated for clinical use, many studies using a knee simulator and a pressure sensor system have been conducted. However it has not been reported that the contact pressure's distribution of a knee implant motion was estimated in real-time during a gate cycle. Therefore. the objective of this study was to analyze the contact pressure distribution for the motion of a joint using the knee simulator and I-scan sensor system. For this purpose, we developed a force-controlled dynamic knee simulator to evaluate the mechanical performance of artificial knee joint. This simulator includes a function of a soft tissue and has a 4-degree-of-freedom to represent an axial compressive load and a flexion angle. As axial compressive force and a flexion angle of the femoral component can be controlled by PC program. The pressure is also measured from I-scan system and simulator to visualize the pressure distribution on the joint contact surfaces under loading condition during walking cycle. The compressive loading curve was the major cause for the contact pressure distribution and its center move in a cycle as to a flexion angie. In conclusion, this system can be used to evaluate to the geometric interaction of femoral and tibial design due to a measured mechanical function such as a contact pressure, contact area and a motion of a loading center.