Development of Ubiquitous Training System against Human Musculoskeletal Disuse Atrophy

主要研究结果总结如下：1)提出了一种在失重环境下维持或加强人体肌肉骨骼系统抵抗废用萎缩的训练方法。2)利用磁共振T2信号增强技术，阐明了表面电极神经肌肉电刺激(NMES)中肌肉刺激的效果，甚至肌肉刺激的深度。3)研制了包括旋转传感器在内的刺激装置，可有效地增强关节周围的肌肉，并对邻近的骨骼施加力量。4)混合训练显示，肌肉体积、力量和腕、肘、肘部的骨密度均有有效的增加。5)证实了混合运动对单侧肢体悬吊(ULLS)模拟微重力实验受试者膝关节的影响。6)具有刺激部分关节刺激装置的无处不在的智能套装是校企之间组装的原型。7)混合运动的生理生化评价(CK、血压和心率、乳酸值、VO_2、生长激素、去甲肾上腺素等)。并从低负荷的角度提出了其安全性建议，这是混合演习的特点之一。此外，研究表明，无论是在低负荷的情况下，运动效果都很高(其摄氧量是坐着时的两倍)。8)采用电刺激来帮助因中风或脊髓损伤而行动不便的受试者的运动。9)拟议的混合运动方法被日本空间论坛接受为“空间利用地面研究公告”(2005至2007)。

Main results are summarized as follows :1) We proposed a training method to maintain or strengthen human musculoskeletal systems against disuse atrophy in weightless environments. The training method is called as "hybrid exercise" as the compound movement of electrically stimulated and voluntary contractions.2) The efficacy, and even the depth, of muscle stimulation during surface electrode neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was clarified by using MRI T2 signal intensities.3) Stimulation devices including rotary sensors were developed for the hybrid exercise that can strengthen muscles around joints and exert force on adjacent bones effectively.4) The hybrid exercise showed the effective increasing of a muscle bulk and force and a bone mineral density at wrist, elbow, and knee joints.5) We also confirmed the effect of the hybrid exercise on the knee joint of subjects who engaged in unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) experiment of simulating microgravity.6) The ubiquitous intelligent suit having stimulation devices to stimulate some joints was assembled as a prototyped one between the universities and industries.7) Physiological and biochemical evaluation at the hybrid exercise (CK, blood pressure and a heart rate, lactic-acid value, VO_2, growth hormone, a noradrenalin, etc.) were tried and its safety was suggested from a viewpoint of the low load which is one of the features of the hybrid exercise. Moreover, it was shown that the exercise effect is high regardless of being by low load (as many oxygen uptake as this momentum of 2METs which are twice at sitting).8) Electrical stimulations were applied to assist the motion of subjects having mobility impairments due to stroke or spinal cord injury.9) The proposed hybrid exercise method was accepted by Japan Space Forum as "Ground-based Research Announcement for Space Utilization" (2005 to 2007).