Age-related compensation: Neuromusculoskeletal capacity, reserve & movement objectives

The prevention, mitigation and treatment of movement impairments, ideally, requires early diagnosis or identification. As the human movement system has physiological and functional redundancy, movement limitations do not promptly arise at the onset of physical decline. A such, prediction of movement limitations is complex: it is unclear how...

Compensation due to age-related decline in sit-to-stand and sit-to-walk

Capacity is the physiological ability of the neuromusculoskeletal systems; this declines with age. This decline in capacity may result in the inability to stand up (sit-to-stand, sit-to-walk), which is an important movement for independent living. Compensation, as a result of functional redundancy, is key in understanding how much age-related...

Parameter analysis for speed skating performance

Speed skating is a rather special form of locomotion. While in most types of human locomotion, humans generate forces by pushing against the environment in the opposite direction of motion, in speed skating the skater pushes sideward to propel himself forward; Insight in the details of the technique can help a speed skater improve his...

Push-off forces in elite short-track speed skating

This study performed an analysis of the push-off forces of elite-short-track speed skaters using a new designed instrumented short-track speed skate with the aim to improve short-track skating performance. Four different skating strokes were distinguished for short-track speed skaters at speed. The strokes differed in stroke time, force level...

Accuracy of human motion capture systems for sport applications; state-of-the-art review

Objective: Sport research often requires human motion capture of an athlete. It can, however, be labour-intensive and difficult to select the right system, while manufacturers report on specifications which are determined in set-ups that largely differ from sport research in terms of volume, environment and motion. The aim of this review is...

Power in sports: A literature review on the application, assumptions, and terminology of mechanical power in sport research

The quantification of mechanical power can provide valuable insight into athlete performance because it is the mechanical principle of the rate at which the athlete does work or transfers energy to complete a movement task. Estimates of power are usually limited by the capabilities of measurement systems, resulting in the use of simplified power...

Design and verification of a simple 3D dynamic model of speed skating which mimics observed forces and motions

Advice about the optimal coordination pattern for an individual speed skater, could be addressed by simulation and optimization of a biomechanical speed skating model. But before getting to this optimization approach one needs a model that can reasonably match observed behaviour. Therefore, the objective of this study is to present a verified...

Wireless instrumented klapskates for long-track speed skating

In the current project, we aim to provide speed skaters with real-time feedback on how to improve their skating performance within an individual stroke. The elite skaters and their coaches wish for a system that determines the mechanical power per stroke. The push-off force of the skater is a crucial variable in this power determination. In...

Giving the force direction: Analysis of speed skater push off forces with respect to an inertial coordinate system

Pushoff in speed skating requires an extensive motion strategy. During speed skating the skater continuously changes the lean and steering angle of the skate and therewith the direction of push-off, The forces in an inertial coordinate system can give insight into what amount of the push-off force is directed into the forward motion. In this...

Getting the angles straight in speed skating: A validation study on an IMU filter design to measure the lean angle of the skate on the straights

To assist speed skaters in improving their skating performance, we would like to provide them with real time feedback on the orientation of the skate within a single stroke. While of course the forces generated by the skater on the ice determine the acceleration of the skater, the orientation of the skate determines in which direction this...