Movement of the ribs in supine humans for small and large changes in lung volume

An object tracking algorithm was used on computed tomography (CT) images of the thorax from six healthy participants and nine participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to describe the movement of the ribs between the static lung volumes of functional residual capacity (FRC) and total lung capacity (TLC). The continuous motion of the ribs during tidal breathing was also described using four-dimensional CT datasets from seven participants with thoracic esophageal malignancies. Rib motion was defined relative to a local joint coordinate system where rotations about the axes that predominantly affected the anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the rib cage were referred to as pump-handle and bucket-handle movements, respectively. Between TLC and FRC, pump-handle movements were 1.8 times larger in healthy participants than in participants with COPD, in line with their 1.6 times larger inspiratory capacities. However, when rib motion was normalized to the change in lung volume, pump-handle movements were similar for healthy and COPD participant groups. We found no differences in bucket-handle movements between participant groups before and after normalization. Pump-handle movement was the dominant rib motion between FRC and TLC, on average four times greater than bucket-handle movement in healthy participants. For expiratory tidal volume, pump-handle movements were 20% smaller than bucket-handle movements. When normalized to tidal volume and compared to inspiratory capacity, pump-handle movements were smaller and bucket-handle movements were larger during tidal breathing. The findings suggest that the pump-handle and bucket-handle components of rib motion vary for small and large changes in lung volume.

Joint Trajectory Planning of Space Modular Reconfigurable Satellites Based on Kinematic Model

This paper investigates the application of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to plan joint trajectories of the space modular reconfigurable satellite (SMRS). SMRS changes its configuration by joint motions to complete various space missions; its movement stability is affected by joints motions because of the dynamic coupling effect in space. To improve the movement stability in reconfiguration progress, this paper establishes the optimization object equation to characterize the movement stability of SMRS in its reconfiguration process. The velocity-level and position-level kinematic models based on the proposed virtual joint coordinate system of SMRS are derived. The virtual joint coordinate system solves the problem of asymmetric joint coordinate system resulted by the asymmetric joint arrangement of SMRS. The six-order and seven-order polynomial curves are chosen to parameterize the joint trajectories and ensure the continuous position, velocity, and acceleration of joint motions. Finally, PSO algorithm is used to optimize the trajectory parameters in two cases. Consistent optimization results in terms of the six-order and seven-order polynomial in both cases prove the PSO algorithm can be effectively used for joint trajectory planning of SMRS.

Elastodynamics modeling of 4-SPS/CU parallel mechanism with flexible moving platform based on absolute nodal coordinate formulation

The moving platform of the 4-SPS/CU (S is the spherical joint, P is the prismatic joint, C is the cylindrical joint, U is the universal joint) parallel mechanism is treated as a thin-plate element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation due to its physical characteristic. In order to eliminate high-frequency modes caused by the coupling between membrane and bending effects, the elastic mid-surface approach is used to evaluate the elastic force of the flexible moving platform. In order to formulate constraint equations between the flexible body and the rigid body, the tangent frame is introduced to define the joint coordinate system that is rigidly attached to the node at the joint, which is convenient for determining the constant vector in the joint coordinate system. The dynamics model of the parallel mechanism with the flexible moving platform is built based on the equation of motion. The simulation results show that the vibration frequency caused by the flexible body will be increased with the increasing stiffness of the material, and the kinematic trajectory and dynamics performance of the parallel mechanism are affected seriously when the smaller Young’s modulus is used, which illustrates that the effect of the flexible moving platform on the dynamic performance of the parallel mechanism should not be ignored.

An Endplate-Based Joint Coordinate System for Measuring Kinematics in Normal and Abnormally-Shaped Lumbar Vertebrae

Vertebral level-dependent, angular, and linear translations of the spine have been measured in 2D and 3D using several imaging methods to quantify postural changes due to loading conditions and tasks. Here, we propose and validate a semiautomated method for measuring lumbar intervertebral angles and translations from upright MRI images using an endplate-based, joint coordinate system (JCS). This method was validated using 3D printed structures, representing intervertebral discs (IVD) at predetermined angles and heights, which were positioned between adjacent cadaveric vertebrae as a gold standard. Excellent agreement between our measurements and the gold standard was found for intervertebral angles in all anatomical planes (ICC > .997) and intervertebral distance measurements (ICC > .949). The proposed endplate-based JCS was compared with the vertebral body-based JCS proposed by the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) using the 3D printed structures placed between 3 adjacent vertebrae from a cadaver with scoliosis. The endplate-based method was found to have better agreement with angles in the sagittal plane (ICC = 0.985) compared with the vertebral body-based method (ICC = .280). Thus, this method is accurate for measuring 3D intervertebral angles in the healthy and diseased lumbar spine.

Simulation Analysis of the Three-Dimensional Ball Motion

For the problems of the human geometric modeling by using software, such as more complex, poor fidelity and controllability, the optimized mathematical model for human simulation movement is designed at first. A three-dimensional human motion system coordinate is established to construct the simplified virtual human geometric model. Using the knowledge of computer graphics, and Denavic-Hartenberg method, construct a space joint coordinate system of virtual hierarchal human movement chain. 3DS MAX is used in realistic geometric modeling to achieve the three-dimensional motion simulation analysis in basketball motion. The results show that the model is realistic, the optimized geometric model in software is easy to control, and the overall effect is good. It greatly enhances the realism and action effects of the three-dimensional motion simulation, and achieves a good virtual basketball motion.