Physics-Based Seated Posture Prediction for Pregnant Women and Validation Considering Ground and Seat Pan Contacts

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Howard ◽  
Aimee Cloutier ◽  
Jingzhou (James) Yang

An understanding of human seated posture is important across many fields of scientific research. Certain demographics, such as pregnant women, have special postural limitations that need to be considered. Physics-based posture prediction is a tool in which seated postures can be quickly and thoroughly analyzed, as long the predicted postures are realistic. This paper proposes and validates an optimization formulation to predict seated posture for pregnant women considering ground and seat pan contacts. For the optimization formulation, the design variables are joint angles (posture); the cost function is dependent on joint torques. Constraints include joint limits, joint torque limits, the distances from the end-effectors to target points, and self-collision avoidance constraints. Three different joint torque cost functions have been investigated to account for the special postural characteristics of pregnant women and consider the support reaction forces (SRFs) associated with seated posture. Postures are predicted for three different reaching tasks in common reaching directions using each of the objective function formulations. The predicted postures are validated against experimental postures obtained using motion capture. A linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the validity of the predicted postures and was the criteria for comparison between the different objective functions. A 56 degree of freedom model was used for the posture prediction. Use of the objective function minimizing the maximum normalized joint torque provided an R2 value of 0.828, proving superior to either of two alternative functions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujiang Xiang ◽  
Shadman Tahmid ◽  
Paul Owens ◽  
James Yang

Abstract Box delivery is a complicated task and it is challenging to predict the box delivery motion associated with the box weight, delivering speed, and location. This paper presents a single task-based inverse dynamics optimization method for determining the planar symmetric optimal box delivery motion (multi-task jobs). The design variables are cubic B-spline control points of joint angle profiles. The objective function is dynamic effort, i.e., the time integral of the square of all normalized joint torques. The optimization problem includes various constraints. Joint angle profiles are validated through experimental results using root-mean-square-error (RMSE) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. This research provides a practical guidance to prevent injury risks in joint torque space for workers who lift and deliver heavy objects in their daily jobs.


Author(s):  
Hyun-Joon Chung ◽  
Yujiang Xiang ◽  
Mahdiar Hariri ◽  
Rajan Bhatt ◽  
Jasbir S. Arora ◽  
...  

An optimization formulation for human ladder climbing simulation is presented. The human model has 55 degrees of freedom — 49 revolute joints and 6 global translation & rotation joints. It is assumed that the ladder climbing motion is symmetric and periodic. The formulation starts with four contact points with both hands and feet. Then, hand and foot moves up and it ends with four contact points again. Design variables are the joint angle profiles and contact reaction forces. The objective function is combined with dynamic efforts and motion tracking. The dynamic efforts are joint torque square which is proportional to the mechanical energy. The motion tracking is the motion capture data tracking so that the motion follows the natural ladder climb motion as well. The dynamics results with joint torques and reaction forces are recovered and analyzed from the simulation.


Robotica ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuling Zou ◽  
Qinghong Zhang ◽  
Jingzhou (James) Yang ◽  
Jared Gragg

SUMMARYHuman posture prediction can often be formulated as a nonlinear multiobjective optimization (MOO) problem. The joint displacement function is considered as a benchmark of human performance measures. When the joint displacement function is used as the objective function, posture prediction is a MOO problem. The weighted-sum method is commonly used to find a Pareto solution of this MOO problem. Within the joint displacement function, the relative value of the weights associated with each joint represents the relative importance of that joint. Usually, weights are determined by trial and error approaches. This paper presents a systematic approach via an inverse optimization approach to determine the weights for the joint displacement function in posture prediction. This inverse optimization problem can be formulated as a bi-level optimization problem. The design variables are joint angles and weights. The cost function is the summation of the differences between two set of joint angles (the design variables and the realistic posture). Constraints include (1) normalized weights within limits and (2) an inner optimization problem to solve for joint angles (predicted posture). Additional constraints such as weight limits and weight linear equality constraints, obtained through observations, are also implemented in the formulation to test the method. A 24 degree of freedom human upper body model is used to study the formulation and visualize the prediction. An in-house motion capture system is used to obtain the realistic posture. Four different percentiles of subjects are selected to run the experiment. The set of weights for the general seated posture prediction is obtained by averaging all weights for all subjects and all tasks. On the basis of obtained set of weights, the predicted postures match the experimental results well.


Author(s):  
Paul Owens ◽  
Yujiang Xiang

This study addresses one solution for determining the optimal delivery of a box. The delivering task is divided into five subtasks: lifting, initial transition step, carrying, final transition step, and unloading. Each task is simulated independently with appropriate boundary conditions so that they can be stitched together to render a complete delivering task. Each task is formulated as an optimization problem. The design variables are joint angle profiles. For lifting and carrying tasks, the objective function is the dynamic effort. In contrast, for transition task, the objective function is the combination of dynamic effort and joint angle discomfort. For unloading, it is a reverse process of lifting motion. A viable optimization motion is generated from the simulation results. The joint torque, joint angle, and ground reactive forces are analyzed for the delivering motion which is also empirically validated.


10.29007/2k64 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat Prodanovic ◽  
Cedric Goeury ◽  
Fabrice Zaoui ◽  
Riadh Ata ◽  
Jacques Fontaine ◽  
...  

This paper presents a practical methodology developed for shape optimization studies of hydraulic structures using environmental numerical modelling codes. The methodology starts by defining the optimization problem and identifying relevant problem constraints. Design variables in shape optimization studies are configuration of structures (such as length or spacing of groins, orientation and layout of breakwaters, etc.) whose optimal orientation is not known a priori. The optimization problem is solved numerically by coupling an optimization algorithm to a numerical model. The coupled system is able to define, test and evaluate a multitude of new shapes, which are internally generated and then simulated using a numerical model. The developed methodology is tested using an example of an optimum design of a fish passage, where the design variables are the length and the position of slots. In this paper an objective function is defined where a target is specified and the numerical optimizer is asked to retrieve the target solution. Such a definition of the objective function is used to validate the developed tool chain. This work uses the numerical model TELEMAC- 2Dfrom the TELEMAC-MASCARET suite of numerical solvers for the solution of shallow water equations, coupled with various numerical optimization algorithms available in the literature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-187
Author(s):  
M. Erkan Kütük ◽  
L. Canan Dülger

An optimization study with kinetostatic analysis is performed on hybrid seven-bar press mechanism. This study is based on previous studies performed on planar hybrid seven-bar linkage. Dimensional synthesis is performed, and optimum link lengths for the mechanism are found. Optimization study is performed by using genetic algorithm (GA). Genetic Algorithm Toolbox is used with Optimization Toolbox in MATLAB®. The design variables and the constraints are used during design optimization. The objective function is determined and eight precision points are used. A seven-bar linkage system with two degrees of freedom is chosen as an example. Metal stamping operation with a dwell is taken as the case study. Having completed optimization, the kinetostatic analysis is performed. All forces on the links and the crank torques are calculated on the hybrid system with the optimized link lengths


Biomechanics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-117
Author(s):  
Nasser Rezzoug ◽  
Vincent Hernandez ◽  
Philippe Gorce

A force capacity evaluation for a given posture may provide better understanding of human motor abilities for applications in sport sciences, rehabilitation and ergonomics. From data on posture and maximum isometric joint torques, the upper-limb force feasible set of the hand was predicted by four models called force ellipsoid, scaled force ellipsoid, force polytope and scaled force polytope, which were compared with a measured force polytope. The volume, shape and force prediction errors were assessed. The scaled ellipsoid underestimated the maximal mean force, and the scaled polytope overestimated it. The scaled force ellipsoid underestimated the volume of the measured force distribution, whereas that of the scaled polytope was not significantly different from the measured distribution but exhibited larger variability. All the models characterized well the elongated shape of the measured force distribution. The angles between the main axes of the modelled ellipsoids and polytopes and that of the measured polytope were compared. The values ranged from 7.3° to 14.3°. Over the entire surface of the force ellipsoid, 39.7% of the points had prediction errors less than 50 N; 33.6% had errors between 50 and 100 N; and 26.8% had errors greater than 100N. For the force polytope, the percentages were 56.2%, 28.3% and 15.4%, respectively.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 774
Author(s):  
Haitao Luo ◽  
Rong Chen ◽  
Siwei Guo ◽  
Jia Fu

At present, hard coating structures are widely studied as a new passive damping method. Generally, the hard coating material is completely covered on the surface of the thin-walled structure, but the local coverage cannot only achieve better vibration reduction effect, but also save the material and processing costs. In this paper, a topology optimization method for hard coated composite plates is proposed to maximize the modal loss factors. The finite element dynamic model of hard coating composite plate is established. The topology optimization model is established with the energy ratio of hard coating layer to base layer as the objective function and the amount of damping material as the constraint condition. The sensitivity expression of the objective function to the design variables is derived, and the iteration of the design variables is realized by the Method of Moving Asymptote (MMA). Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate that this method can obtain the optimal layout of damping materials for hard coating composite plates. The results show that the damping materials are mainly distributed in the area where the stored modal strain energy is large, which is consistent with the traditional design method. Finally, based on the numerical results, the experimental study of local hard coating composites plate is carried out. The results show that the topology optimization method can significantly reduce the frequency response amplitude while reducing the amount of damping materials, which shows the feasibility and effectiveness of the method.


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