Development of Modelling Techniques for Subject-Specific Prediction of Biomechanical Variables Beyond the Research Environment

新技术开始以低成本和不需要重要基础设施的情况下深入了解人类关节功能。这些技术可以结合起来并进一步发展，以提供更全面的生物力学分析，并最终帮助外科医生制定个性化的骨科手术计划，目前这需要大量的专业知识。这项工作将发展对这些技术的基本工程理解，它们可以提供的生物力学信息的类型和质量，以及它们如何结合起来在应用环境中提供信息。本研究的目的是：1）调查基于计算机的模型的肩膀，考虑个性化因素（例如解剖学差异）并且可以确定个性化的生物力学信息; 2）开发低成本的移动的传感器，其产生数据以驱动上述计算机模型; 3）研究目标1和2的组合系统如何预测一个人的关节状况的变化如何影响他们的关节功能（即生物力学）; 4）使用目标3的结果开发轻量级统计模型（使用比目标3所需更少的计算机资源）。该多学科研究计划包括基本生物力学实验，生物力学计算机建模和机电一体化（机械设计，电子和软件的组合）。具体来说，将进行基本的生物力学实验，以提供重要的信息，可用于开发和验证肩关节生物力学的计算机模型。在使用来自上述生物力学实验的信息进行开发之后，计算机模型将与定制开发的低成本移动的传感器系统（即提供关于运动和肌肉活动的信息并且可以在研究环境之外使用的传感器）相结合，以计算仅在实验室中可用的生物力学数据。* 这项研究计划将产生对肩部生物力学的新理解，同时还将开发基础技术，这些技术可以导致未来的系统，这些系统可以通过改进的个性化计划来改善骨科手术的结果，而不仅仅依赖于临床医生的经验。这反过来将有利于加拿大的经济和社会，通过工业伙伴关系，部署和建立在这一技术，并通过节省成本与改善医疗保健技术。最后，该计划将提供一个机会，培养下一代工程师在多学科生物工程研究，这是一个越来越重要的领域。

New technologies are starting to lead to insights into human joint function at low cost and without the need for significant infrastructure. These technologies could be combined and further developed to provide more comprehensive biomechanical analysis and eventually aid surgeons in personalizing orthopaedic surgical plans, which currently requires significant expertise. This work will develop a fundamental engineering understanding of these technologies, the types and quality of biomechanical information they can provide, and how they can be combined to provide information in an applied environment.*** The objectives of this research program are: 1) to investigate computer-based models of the shoulder that account for personalized factors (e.g. anatomical differences) and can determine individualized biomechanical information; 2) to develop low-cost mobile sensors that produce data to drive the above computer model; 3) to investigate how the combined system from Objectives 1 & 2 may predict how changes in a person's joint condition affect their joint function (i.e. biomechanics); 4) to use the results from Objective 3 to develop a statistical model that is lightweight (uses fewer computer resources than were needed in Objective 3).*** This multi-disciplinary research program includes aspects of basic biomechanical experimentation, biomechanical computer modelling, and mechatronics (a combination of mechanical design, electronics, and software). Specifically, basic biomechanical experiments will be conducted to provide important information that can be used to develop and validate a computer model of shoulder biomechanics. After being developed using the information from the above biomechanical experiments, the computer model will be combined with a custom developed system of low-cost mobile sensors (i.e. sensors that provide information about motion and muscle activity and can be used outside a research setting) to calculate biomechanical data that has only ever been available in a laboratory. *** This research program will produce a new understanding of shoulder biomechanics while also developing foundational technologies that can lead to future systems that could improve orthopaedic surgical outcomes through improved, personalized planning that is not solely dependent on clinician experience. This will in turn benefit the Canadian economy and society through industrial partnerships that deploy and build upon this technology, and through cost savings associated with improved healthcare technologies. Finally, this program will provide an opportunity to train the next generation of engineers in multi-disciplinary bioengineering research which is an increasingly important field.