Nonlinear Dynamics and Bifurcations of Human Posture on Tunable Balance Boards

本研究的目标是研究人体姿势在具有可调刚度和时间延迟的平衡板上的动力学，并利用这种理解来改善神经肌肉疾病的早期检测和平衡受损人群的康复。这项研究将开发新的数学模型的人体姿势耦合到外部系统，并研究其中的紧急动态;并开发一种新型的平衡板，可调板旋转刚度和时间延迟。该可调装置将与印第安纳州大学医学院合作，用于评估基于分叉的方法在早期检测神经肌肉疾病和改善年轻受试者、老年受试者和多发性硬化症（MS）患者康复方面的潜在优势。此外，将在当地养老院开发一个以改善平衡为重点的代际服务学习计划，将创建一个关于感知，认知和运动控制动力系统的校园论坛/研讨会系列，高年级本科生将在研究项目中得到指导，该团队将接触当地的MS支持团体。可调平衡板的开发可能是康复设备的重大改进，因为它可以操纵，因此，探讨肌肉僵硬度和时间延迟对平衡的影响。如果成功的话，在可调平衡板上使用分叉阈值作为指示早期神经肌肉疾病的手段的想法可能会导致虚弱的老年人和MS、帕金森？的疾病或遭受创伤性脑损伤的人。使用这些可调平衡板延迟的新检测和训练概念最终可以商业化并改善平衡受损个体的生活质量。此外，与福尔斯有关的大量经济费用-2000年的直接医疗费用超过190亿美元-可能会减少。

The goal of this research is to study the dynamics of human posture on a balance board with tunable stiffness and time delay and exploit this understanding to improve the early detection of neuromuscular disease and the rehabilitation of balance compromised populations. The research will develop new mathematical models of human posture coupled to an external system and study the emergent dynamics therein; and develop a novel balance board with tunable board rotational stiffness and time delay. This tunable device will be used to assess the potential advantages of bifurcation-based approaches for the early detection of neuromuscular disorder and improved rehabilitation of younger subjects, older subjects and individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), in collaboration with the Indiana University School of Medicine. In addition an inter-generational service-learning program focused on improving balance will be developed at a local retirement home, a campus wide forum/seminar series on dynamical systems in perception, cognition, and motor control will be created, senior undergraduate students will be mentored in research projects, and the team will reach out to local MS support groups.The development of the tunable balance board could be a major improvement in rehabilitative devices as it can manipulate and thus, explore the contribution of muscle stiffness and time delay to balance. If successful the idea of using bifurcation thresholds on the tunable balance boards as a means of indicating early stage neuromuscular disease could lead to early diagnosis of fall-propensity in frail older adults and adults with MS, Parkinson?s disease or persons suffering from traumatic brain injury. New detection and training concepts using these tunable balance boards delay could eventually be commercialized and improve quality of life of balance-compromised individuals. In addition, the substantial economic cost associated with falls, valued at over $19 billion in direct medical costs in 2000, may be reduced.