The University News

Issue date: 9/21/09 Section: News

Media Credit: photo illustration Computer-generated image showing motion.

Have you ever wondered what causes sports injuries or why elderly people are more likely to fall?

Researchers here at UMKC are trying to answer these and other questions with the help of some new high-tech equipment.

The equipment is called the Human Motion Laboratory and it is operated primarily by professors Gregory King and Trent Guess, who work in the Engineering department.

Built with money won through a $263,685 grant from the National Science Foundation, the lab has been up and running since May.

King said the lab is a great asset to UMKC - and not just because it's the newest and best in the region. It can be used for all types of engineering studies, computer science, dance, nursing, criminology and more.

It can also be used to study walking surfaces, human balance (which has special implications for the elderly) and what causes injuries.

King said the many facets of the research is what enabled them to receive the grant.

"The multidisciplinary nature of this project had a lot to do with it," he said.

Ultimately, the idea is if one can learn what causes problems in these areas, then accordingly, the problems just might be prevented.

So how does this thing work?

Imagine an average UMKC-sized classroom, but lining the top of the wall is a number of infrared cameras, which don't look at all like normal cameras.

These cameras only pick up certain types of light. In this case, they use little reflective balls, which can be fixed to specific points on a moving object, such as the joints of a person in motion.

Everything is linked to a computer that records all the data and creates an image visible on a large monitor hanging on the wall, and the researchers can learn how these points move in relation to one another in 3-D.

But there is more to it than that. In the center of the room, there are four large tiles in the floor called force plates. When stood on, they can measure the various forces in action for a movement.

As Guess put it, they are like a sophisticated Nintendo Wii Fit balance board.

Furthermore, all of these tools can be used with electromyography (EMG) sensors. These are little sensors that can be stuck to the skin on a muscle group to measure their activity by recording the electrical signal muscles put out when contracted.

In other words, a screen will show a bunch of flat lines, with each line representing a muscle group with an EMG sensor attached to it. When one of the muscles is used, the line bounces.

With this system, King and Guess hope to make positive advances toward the future of medicine.

mhicks@unews.com

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