http://www.eng.nsf.gov/bes/bes.htm

Dr. Cetin Cetinkaya

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, School of Engineering

Clarkson University

P.O. Box 5725, Potsdam, NY 13699

(315) 268-6514 Fax: (315) 268-6695

cetin@clarkson.edu

Dr. Leslie N. Russek

Health Sciences, School of Science

Clarkson University

P.O. Box 5800, Potsdam, NY 13699

1. Project Summary

 

The proposed program Projects in Biomechanics will provide the two-semester capstone design course sequence, ME 445/445 Integrated Design I and II, or an independent study course, in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University with "real world" biomechanics projects. Small team(s) of students will design cost-effective customized assistive tools for individuals with disabling conditions, and will build prototype devices by following a disciplined design and evaluation method for designing, documenting, building and testing marketable engineering products. The underlining premise in selecting topics for Projects in Biomechanics is that realistic design solutions to nontrivial biomechanical problems, as opposed to overly simplified special cases, require a highly detailed engineering analysis and optimization process, therefore the meaningful adoption and effective use of modern computational tools should be integral parts of the development process. This careful adoption and proper mentoring activities will elevate the use of advanced computational analysis tools in undergraduate engineering education to a higher level, consequently, in Projects in Biomechanics more sophisticated biomechanics products will be designed. An important educational goal, in addition to the fundamental design training, is to expose interested students to the area of rehabilitation engineering.

 

The aim is to ease the burden of some design-related computational issues which can be addressed with the help of existing tools. Consequently, the level of understanding the physics of the design problem under consideration and interpreting results obtained from analyses and simulations will be increased. Teams in Projects in Biomechanics will be expected to develop physics-based arguments in support of the validity and correctness of their computational results before using them in making design decisions.

 

Due to the nature of the projects, the course will require teams to attack multidisciplinary design problems that demand not only technical solutions, but also address the real needs of people with disabling conditions for custom-made biomechanics devices. In shaping the design details of Projects in Biomechanics, a dynamic interaction among heath professionals in participating institutions, faculty members from the Departments of Physical Therapy and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University will take place. A broad base of support is obtained from St. Lawrence County Public Health Department, United Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, The Community Nursing Home of Potsdam, St. Lawrence-Lewis County Board of Cooperative Education Services, and New York MedLink.

 

The experience gained in the course of this program and the methodologies developed within the framework of our daily efforts could provide a model for forming an analysis-oriented biomechanics course at Clarkson University and in many other universities in the Nation. A bioengineering concentration in the School of Engineering at Clarkson University is already under consideration.

 

3. Table of Contents

1. Project Summary
2. Table of Contents
3. Project Description

C.1 Background

C.2. Results from Prior NSF Support

C.3. Philosophy

C. 4 Management of the Project

C.5. Descriptions of Project Areas

C.5.1. Specialized Multifunction Exercise Equipment

C.5.2. Assistive Tools and Aids

C.5.3. Software-Device Interfaces for Individuals with Disabilities

C.5.4. Mobility Assistance Devices

3. C.5.5. Custom Made Keyboards and Mice
4. C.6. Team Formation Principles for Team-based Work
5. C.7. Concluding Remarks

1. References
2. Biographical Sketches
3. Budget
4. Current and Pending Support
5. Facilities, Equipment and Other Resource
6. Special Documents and Supplementary Documentation

The program Projects in Biomechanics will provide the two-semester capstone design course sequence (ME 445/445 Integrated Design I and II), or an independent study course in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University with "real world" projects in which cost-effective customized assistive tools for individuals with disabling conditions will be designed and prototype devices will be built by a small team of students. Teams in ME 445/445 closely follow a disciplined design and evaluation method, which is similar to that proposed by Pugh (Ref. 1), for designing, building and testing products. An important goal, in addition to the fundamental design training, is to expose interested students to the area of rehabilitation engineering. This course will better prepare graduates to apply advanced engineering design methodologies and analysis principles to the needs of persons with disabling conditions. Approximately one in seven Americans experience limitations in life activities due to a disabling condition (Ref. 2); and annual costs associated with disability in the U.S. are above $300 billion (Ref. 3). Engineering design and analysis methodologies along with other available technologies have the potential to alleviate functional limitations, thus reducing or preventing disability.

The underlining premise in selecting topics for Projects in Biomechanics is based on our belief that realistic design solutions to nontrivial biomechanical problems require a highly detailed engineering analysis and optimization process; therefore, the meaningful adoption and effective use of modern computational tools should be integral parts of the development process. The aim is to ease the burden of some design-related computational issues which can be addressed with the help of existing tools. Consequently, the level of understanding the physics of the design problem under consideration and interpreting results obtained from analyses and simulations will be increased. To verify the correctness and level of approximation of computational results, a special emphasis will be on critical examination of the results from the computational tools. Teams in Projects in Biomechanics will be expected to develop physics-based arguments in support of their computational results before using them in making design decisions. Due to the nature of the projects, the course will require teams to attack multidisciplinary design problems that demand not only technical solutions, but also address the real needs of people with disabilities for custom-made biomechanics devices. This will require some knowledge of the impairment and functional limitations, and how currently available technology can enable these individuals. Since parametric technologies will be utilized in design, analysis and development stages, the design for a particular person can be adopted for the needs of people with similar functional limitations. In short, in Projects in Biomechanics we plan to address a class of biomechanics problems, utilizing one person's immediate needs as a case study.

We also plan to make Projects in Biomechanics available to graduate students who are interested in examining biomechanical systems in higher level. A section in ME 614 Special Projects will be devoted to graduate level problems in Projects in Biomechanics. Graduate students will be expected to work on more involved analytical and/or experimental aspects of the biomechanics projects.

In shaping the design details of Projects in Biomechanics, a dynamic interaction among health professionals in participating institutions, and faculty members from the Departments of Physical Therapy and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University will take place. The active involvement of community clinical and health services is especially important for the program, since one of the important aspects of Projects in Biomechanics is our intention to address the needs of persons with disabilities in the Community. We have obtained a broad base of support from St. Lawrence County Public Health Department, United Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, The Community Nursing Home of Potsdam, St. Lawrence-Lewis County Board of Cooperative Education Services, an organization working in the school system with children with disabling conditions, and New York MedLink, a home health care provider. Copies of the support letters are presented in Section I. These rehabilitation and health care providers work with a wide variety of individuals who might benefit from customized design to facilitate function and independence. These organizations have agreed to facilitate identification of projects and to consult on the design and implementation. The broad base of community support demonstrates the immense need for adoptive technology.

This proposal will use the disability scheme described by the Institute of Medicine (Ref. 3) and shown in Table 1. Briefly, pathology is the underlying disease process or abnormality; an impairment is a deficit or abnormality in an organ or system; impairment may cause a functional limitation; if this functional limitation interferes with person's ability to perform a role expectation, he or she may have a resulting disability.

The design team working on Projects in Biomechanics will have three input sources: (i) Dr. Cetinkaya, the principal investigator, will provide the team with advice on the effective use of computational tools and mechanical design issues and will be responsible for the general process of the program, (ii) Dr. Russek, the co-principal investigator, will prepare a number of project-specific workshops on biomedical issues, will review progress reports from rehabilitation engineering perspective, and will facilitate interactions with collaborating groups, (iii) Dean Feitelberg will serve as an external speaker and advisor for the design teams, and will share his decades-long experience in biomedical product development with the team members.

We believe that the experience gained in the course of this program and the methodologies developed within the framework of our daily efforts could provide a model for an analysis-oriented biomechanics course at Clarkson University and in many other universities in the Nation. A bioengineering concentration in the School of Engineering at Clarkson University is already under consideration. Projects in Biomechanics may provide a foundation course in the rehabilitation engineering and adaptive design focus area.

a. The NSF award number for this project is 9531571, and the approximate amount of financial support for a three-year period is $146,700.

b. The title of the project: Undergraduate Symbolic Computations in Engineering and Science (USCES), Research Experience for Undergraduates. The program has a web site at http://www.wolfram.com/USCES/.

c. Results

USCES is an joint project between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Wolfram Research, Inc. Dr. Cetinkaya served as co-principal investigator and Program Director of the project. The stated objectives of USCES include (i) to introduce the students to modern computational and symbolic methodologies for solving challenging cutting-edge problems in science and engineering, (ii) to increase understanding of the qualitative and quantitative nature of these problems, (iii) to develop the students' abilities to derive and interpret mathematical models, and (iv) to provide an integrated educational experience to a selected group of undergraduate students, with special emphasis on underrepresented groups and minorities. The results obtained during the course of the first year of the program are reported in a Wolfram Research Annual Program Report (Ref. 4). The level and quality of the work performed by the participating students, faculty members and Wolfram Research researchers were outstanding. After the completion of the program, many of the students informed Dr. Cetinkaya about how they utilized the knowledge they gained in the course of the program. One of the participants, James Solberg, joined a summer internship program at Wolfram Research in the summer of 1997. Eric Nelson obtained a summer internship at Santa Fee Institute. Seth Cooper and Njell Cooley worked on computer algebra related projects for professors at University of Pennsylvania and University of Iowa, respectively. Many participating students expressed interest in attending graduate schools to pursue higher degrees in engineering and science. The program in 1996 and 1997 satisfied all of the stated objectives of the project.

d. The 1996 project reports are published as a technical report by Wolfram Research, Inc (cf. Ref. 4).

e. N/A

f. None

Technology and science have established themselves as irreplaceable modern assets in providing comfort to people. It has been, however, observed over and over that the existence of technology and knowledge alone is no guarantee for their effective use in increasing the quality of life and comfort level of people, especially people with disabling conditions. Training competent technologists who can understand the needs of people with disabilities in an insightful manner and create products for them is the key aspect of Projects in Biomechanics. The United States needs to train professionals who can play an active role in transforming available technologies into functional affordable biomechanics devices.

We believe that the creation of an active mentoring environment is one of the most crucial components of the proposed project. In addition to interacting with faculty members, students in Projects in Biomechanics will be assigned a number of health care professionals. The selection of participating health care professionals will depend largely on the level of expertise and the nature of the project. Each health care mentor will be briefed about the goals of the project and the needs of by the principal investigator and co-principal investigator prior to the project launch.

Rehabilitation engineering is the component of bioengineering that is specifically interested in applying technology to compensate for functional limitations due to disabling conditions. Such adaptive design requires additional skills related to understanding and interfacing with the human user. Students will need to develop a basic understanding of the functional impairments affecting the individual they are working with. They also need to consider external constraints such as cosmesis, user training, durability and cost.

Tools in use by a society define the sophistication level of its civilization. The design and analysis tools used in engineering design and analysis today are highly powerful. Most of these software systems have been designed and/or implemented during the Cold War years in order to address the military competitiveness requirements of the era (e.g. see Refs. 7 and 8 for efforts in the area of solid mechanics). The commercial availability and reasonable cost to the academic institutions of the tools today create an excellent opportunity for their wide spread use in an educational institution. However, low cost alone without an in-house expertise pool and support cannot guarantee the successful adoption of these tools in design and analysis. So it is essential to understand their strengths and weaknesses and what types of problems one can effectively solve by utilizing such tools. In addition to the guide for the appropriate tools, teams will be educated about the classifications of mathematical problems that are often encountered in modeling and analysis of bioengineering applications. A mapping between problem classes and computational tools will be introduced.

It is now a fact that more and more technical people are using advanced computational tools in their projects, and some students and professionals do not possess extensive training in advanced theoretical aspects of underlying subject matters, development of these computational tools, and general computational methods. Independent of the strong opinions against this mode of practice in engineering design and analysis, this trend will become even more visible in the near future due to industrial pressure and the sophistication level of the computational tools, as well as their graphical user interfaces. In many cases, the lack of the advanced technical training compromises the use of these tools. In Projects in Biomechanics we will examine the effectiveness of potential methods proposed above to ease the effects of less-than-ideal formal training by concentrating the underlying physics rather than computational techniques required to solve resultant equations stemming from mathematical modeling of the problems. The methods and techniques developed to this end could be instrumental for training of students and professionals who fall into this category of users in both academia and industry.

In selecting approaches to solve biomechanics problems, it is important to recognize that two major trends in the engineering analysis and design tools market today shape many aspects of design and manufacturing process: (i) the desire for the integration of design/analysis/manufacturing tools and (ii) the inclusion of multi-physics functionality for interdisciplinary applications (Refs. 9 and 11). We believe that the formation of a modern design team in an educational institution must be aligned with this market reality for sensible product development cycle. The principles derived from Refs.16 and 17 in forming effective design teams in the ME445/446 sequence are included in Section I.

In the preparation of Projects in Biomechanics, we will examine the applicability of these analytical and computational software tools in selected biomechanics projects. Two important issues in identifying both exciting and substantial design projects are student interest and the technical levels of students. One short-term goal is to identify classes of biomechanics problems that can be solved with the help of these tools. A second goal is to identify shortcomings in tools for performing analyses in particular areas of biomechanics. We also plan to provide the developers in relevant software companies with some feedback in order to increase the awareness of the needs in biomechanics applications. Some software vendors, such as Mechanical Dynamics' kinematic analysis software system ADAMS (Ref. 25), have already started adding features to address the computational needs in bioengineering applications. Some computational tools even allow for customization of component design (Ref. 19).

It is also essential to the design process that the design team works closely with the participants who will utilize the final product in each phase of the design, development and testing. The design team will therefore have regular interviews with the participants.

Prior to meeting with participants, students will be trained in appropriate interpersonal and communications skills, as well as appropriate cultural sensitivity. In the interview students will be guided by the co-principal investigator and a health care professional familiar with the participant. Utilizing these health care professionals as consultants will (i) improve the effectiveness of student-participant interactions, (ii) introduce skills for working on interdisciplinary teams and, (iii) enhance participant acceptance of the process. Measurement methods specific to rehabilitation engineering will also be addressed (Ref. 23). Teams will carefully document results of their interviews with participants and health care organizations as part of their progress requirements. These reports will be used in developing product requirements and technical specifications.

The proposed work requires a well-planned effort to coordinate the activities of the design team, faculty members in two departments at Clarkson University, and a number of health care professionals from various institutions. In addition to normal class activities, the team in Projects in Biomechanics will interact with patients and health care professionals, and some team members will continue on working on projects during the following summer to build a functional prototype.

The plan of operation describes the management of the proposed project, the mentoring system, and the monitoring the progress of the program. The principal investigator, Professor C. Cetinkaya, will conduct the overall administration of the program and will monitor the progress of the project. Additionally, he will provide the team with advice on the effective use of computational tools and mechanical design issues. The co-principal investigator, Professor L. Russek, will organize and teach a number of project-specific workshops in order to address the biomedical issues on which the team member's engineering curriculum provides no or limited coverage. She will also facilitate interactions between the team and participating health care organizations, and will review progress reports from rehabilitation engineering perspective. Dean Feitelberg will serve as an external speaker and advisor for the design teams, and will share his decades-long experience in biomedical product development with the team members. A committee consisting of Professor C. Cetinkaya, Professor L. Russek, Dean Feitelberg and an external heath care professional will be created and chaired by the principal investigator. The primary responsibilities of the committee will be (i) to create a dynamic mentoring environment, (ii) to determine the details of team projects and to create a reporting structure, (iii) to regulate the interactions between collaborating groups, and (iv) to monitor the successful implementation of the program.

In the following, we explain the general areas of Projects in Biomechanics. Specific aspects of these project topics will be shaped by three main factors: (i) needs in the University and local community and student interest, (ii) interactions with staff members from participating health care organizations listed under Section I, and (iii) available in-house expertise and research interests in the Departments of Physical Therapy and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. For each project, a design team will utilize advanced design and analysis tools. Before building physical prototypes, all aspects of a particular design will be simulated under near-real world conditions. The use of professional design refinement, manufacturing, and optimization techniques will also be adopted for cost-control purposes. In the design of products in Projects in Biomechanics, many concepts originally coming from Mechatronics will be utilized since a functional biomechanics product today demands a high level integration of mechanical, electronic and software components.

Physical exercise needs of a person with a particular impairment could be substantially different from those of other individuals. The main focus of these projects would be to adopt equipment to the physical exercise needs of the person and to design specialized multifunctional exercise equipment. This group of projects require an understanding of the normal kinesiology and the change that results in disability. Participating health care professionals will act as consultants to provide information needed to develop product requirements and technical specifications. The knowledge and experience gained in the design and analysis phase of this project will help develop off-the-shelf components for a portable modular exercise system. Another important aspect of this project is to develop a computer program for determining components of an exercise system from a set of exercise requirements of a person with an impairment. Initial software system probably will be used for a relatively small class of impairments. The analysis, simulation, and design tasks for this project will require a strong understanding of structural analysis, kinematics and dynamics as well as extensive mechanical computer simulations and testing. Some of the concepts from the very large space stations structure design will be used in this project, since the two systems have related operation requirements such as low specific weight and ease of assembly.

Many simple and basic tools of daily life cannot be utilized by individuals with disabilities. For example, an individual with severe rheumatoid arthritis might not be able to grasp a knife to cut food. While adapted tools are commercially available, at times these generic utensils do not meet the needs of individuals with specific disabilities. The emphasis of this category of projects will be the rapid design of a customized utensil using parametric design and analysis tools (Ref. 19). These methods will allow students to address a class of design issues, of which the specific tool would be an example.

Today, a very large number of mechanical systems can be controlled by an inexpensive personal computer, and the trend is that even larger class of devices and appliances will become computer-controlled in the near future. The main goal of this project is to design and implement a computer interface for a specific class of impairment, such as an icon or voice driven interface for partially visually impaired individuals and a graphical system that helps a person with a mobility impairment to control his/her wheelchair effectively. The objective of the software tool is twofold: (i) to enable the person to work with a computer to perform basic computing tasks, and (ii) to help the person to interact with his/her physical environment in such a manner he/she is otherwise unable to do. The team working on these projects would develop graphical user interfaces to assist persons with disabilities in the University or in the local community.

Mobility impairment is a common source of disability. Individuals, especially in rural areas, often have unique mobility needs and environmental constraints. This category of projects will involve assessing not only the individual's ability, but also the environmental conditions and constraints in which a mobility aid needs to work. In some cases, solutions may involve complex electronic technology, such as computer assisted wheelchair control. Other cases may involve utilization of high technology design tools and materials to provide a simple device, such as a lightweight self-propelled walker able to function within the confines of a mobile home. Solutions should teach students basic principles of mobility and the interaction between an individual and her environment (Refs. 20 and 21).

The needs for keyboards, mice and other input devices for persons with disabilities are rapidly growing parallel to the developments in the computer and software industry. The goal of this project is to determine the immediate needs of people with impairments for such devices and to generate design specifications. Since it is reasonable to expect that the use of computer-controlled devices will increase further in the near future, the needs for such input devices for productive individuals with disabilities will become even more prominent. The goal of this project is to help close the gap between these individuals and computer-related devices (Ref. 22). This work will require extensive technology integration for solving inherently interdisciplinary problems. Depending on the nature of specific problems encountered in the design process, the needed computational tools for this class of projects may include motion analysis system, signal processing and structural analysis.

Additional Project Topics: Integration of Mechanical Devices and Virtual Reality Systems, Development of Custom Designed Rehabilitation Equipment, Artificial Organs Simulations, Stress Analysis for Orthopaedic Implants/Prosthesis, and Biomechanical Sensors-Computer Interfacing. A variety of additional project ideas for improved products can be generated by examining product catalogs and magazines specialized in the field (e.g., Refs. 14 and 15).

Along with the downsizing movement in the first half of this decade and the great demand for technical professionals today, the fierce competition for optimized consumer products has been shaping the organizational needs of an industrial corporation for teamwork. Extrapolating from these experiences, we will determine an effective method for team building to address the issues that our graduates will face in their workplaces today and in the near future. We believe that the following guidelines devised from our own experience and Ref. 16 will help us to build teams for the current and upcoming challenges.

Complementary skills for interdisciplinary problems: "In a society as complex and technologically sophisticated as ours, the most urgent projects require the coordinated contributions of many talented people" (Ref. 6). Teams will consist of members who ideally posses complementary skills and talents. Each team will have a team leader whose job is that of a project manager in a corporation. The teams would have members from the Schools of Business and/or Health Sciences to bring in different expertise and perspective into a team.

Goal-orientation: The first step is to have students understand that the job of a team is to complete a project, rather than receiving a series of grades for sub-tasks. The goal of a team and the responsibility of each member will be clearly stated. The idea that a team is a problem-solving task force will be promoted.

Individuality in a team: No extreme conformity and uniformity conditions will be imposed on the members of a team. The development of individual styles and professional respect structure within a team will be encouraged.

Accountability: The roles and responsibilities of each member in a team will be clearly defined as much as possible. Consequently, each member will have a specific task for which he or she is totally or partially accountable.

Open communications: Along with a series of technical progress reports, each team will prepare a detailed market research and a draft business model for a company that would produce and market their products.

Inclusiveness: A special effort to attract female and underrepresented group members to the course in particular and engineering in general will be made. The national standards on the matter will be closely followed in team building.

Allowance of conflict: Conflicts over technical and non-technical issues in design/development teams are inevitable and expected. Teams will adopt various conflict resolution techniques.

Patent Searches: Patent process is an essential step of commercialization efforts of an innovative design work. Teams will be expected to find a couple of patents that are closely related to their products. Clarkson University has access to an on-line patent search system.

Financial Market Monitoring: A good understanding of workings of stock markets can be crucial in commercialization of a product. Teams will identify the activities of the companies that are developing, producing and marketing similar products that the team is working on. The financial statements of these companies with the SEC will also be closely monitored.

The pressing needs of aging population in the U.S. and the wide availability of engineering analysis and design tools creates an environment where customized assistive tools are both needed and possible to design, develop and produce. However, the existence of needs, technology and knowledge alone is no guarantee for creating effective assistive technologies to increase the quality of life and comfort level of people with disabling conditions in the Nation.

Our main objective in Projects in Biomechanics is three fold; (i) to identify best ways to train engineers who can not only address the technical aspects of a particular project, but also can relate to the specific needs of people with disabling conditions, (ii) to promote the use of advanced engineering design and analysis tools in undergraduate level and to determine effective methods in adopting these computational tools, and (iii) to help people with disabling conditions in the Community. We believe that careful adoption of advanced computational tools and modern design methodologies along with biomechanics training in an active mentoring environment will help us to reach these challenging goals.

We are convinced that there is a strong interest for projects addressing the needs of people with disabling conditions in the Community, since the proposed program received a broad base of support from St. Lawrence County Public Health Department, United Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, The Community Nursing Home of Potsdam, St. Lawrence-Lewis County Board of Cooperative Education Services, and New York MedLink. The active involvement of community clinical and health services is especially important for the program.

The expertise and interests of its principal investigators create a unique advantage for Projects in Biomechanics. Dr. Cetinkaya has extensive experience in the use of computational tools in solving demanding engineering problem and in administrating a similar NSF program along with teaching team-based design courses. Dr. Russek's practical experience in health care and educational background in bioengineering are valuable assets for the Projects in Biomechanics. Dean Feitelberg's decades-long experience in biomedical product development and his willingness to contribute to our effort create a priceless opportunity for the program.

The Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University has a strong track record in team-based design courses in its curriculum. With this experience in the department, the consistent commitment of Clarkson University to its computational, laboratory and machine shop infrastructure offers a favorable environment in which Projects in Biomechanics can produce a model assistive technologies program for the Nation. We believe that the high level of the cost-sharing assurance by the University for the proposed program is a positive indicator for its commitment to Projects in Biomechanics.

In summary, we are confident that this unique combination of the aforementioned components provide us with necessary ingredients for the success of the proposed program Projects in Biomechanics.

1. S. Pugh, Total Design: Integrated Methods for Successful Product Engineering, 1991, Addison-Wesley.

2. Disability in America: Towards a National Agenda For Prevention, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science, 1991.

3. Enabling America: Assessing the Role of Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, E. N. Brandt, A.M. Pope (Eds.), Institute of Medicine, 1997, National Academy Press. Washington, D.C.

4. C. Cetinkaya, Annual Program Report, Summer Research Program-NSF Undergraduate Symbolic Computations in Engineering and Science Program (USCES), August 1996, Technical Report, Wolfram Research, Inc., Champaign, Illinois.

5. L. N. Russek, "Closed Kinetic Chain and Gait", The Biomechanics of the Foot and Ankle, R. A. Donatelli (Ed.), Second Edition, 1990, CPR.

6. W. Bennis and P. W. Biederman, Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration, 1996, Addison Wesley.

7. Structural Mechanics Computer Programs, W. Pilkey, K. Saczalski, and H. Schaeffer (Eds.), Second Edition, 1974, University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville.

8. Shock and Vibration Computer Programs: Reviews and Summaries, W. Pilkey and B. Pilkey (Eds.), 1975, The Shock and Vibration Information Center, United States Department of Defense.

9. A. D. Grummon, "Analyzing the Future of Analysis: Interviews with Analysis Software Company Execs," Desktop Engineering (www.deskeng.com), Vol.3, No. 4, December 1997.

10. G. Pahl and W. Beitz, Engineering Design: A Systematic Approach, Second Edition, 1996, Springer-Verlag.

11. The Finite Element Method in the 1990s, E. Onate, J. Periaux, A. Samuelsson (Eds.), 1991, Springer-Verlag.

12. Y. C. Fung, Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues, Second Edition, 1993, Springer-Verlag.

13. AI System Support For Conceptual Design, Proceedings of the 1995 Lancaster International Workshop on Engineering Design, J. Sharpe (Ed.), 22-29, March 1995, Springer-Verlag.

14. Exceptional Parent, Magazine for Families and Professionals, Oradell, New Jersey.

15. The ABLEDATA Internet Site, www.abledate.com, The National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research, Department of Education.

16. H. Tosi, J.R. Rosi and S. J. Carroll, Managing Organizational Behavior, Second Edition, 1990, Harper&Row, Pubs.

17. B. Twiss, Managing Technological Innovation, Third Edition, 1986, Pitman Pub.

18. C. J. Robinson, "Rehabilitation Engineering, Science, and Technology," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

19. M. Lord, A. Turner-Smith, "Orthopedic Prosthetics and Orthotics in Rehabilitation," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

20. R.A. Cooper, "Wheeled Mobility: Wheelchairs and Personal Transportation," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

21. D.B. Popovic, "Externally Powered and Controlled Orthotics and Prosthetics," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

22. B. Romich, G. Vanderheiden, "Augmentative Communication/Control/Computer Access," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

23. G.V. Kondraske, "Measurement Tools and Processes in Rehabilitation Engineering," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

24. D. Hobson, and E. Trefler, "Rehabilitation Engineering Technologies:

Principles of Applications," in the Biomedical Engineering Handbook, J.D. Bronzino (Ed.), 1995, CRC Press.

25. The Mechanical Dynamics Internet Site, www.adams.com.

Dr. C. Cetinkaya, the principal investigator of the proposed project and project supervisor, has been teaching ME445/445, the capstone integrated design course sequence in the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Department at Clarkson University. He has used a wide spectrum of computational tools in solving challenging advanced engineering problems during the course of his education and his tenure at Wolfram Research. He has also served as a program coordinator and co-principal investigator for an NSF-REU site (Undergraduate Symbolic Computations in Engineering and Science, Award Number: 9531571) (Ref. 4). As a result, Dr. Cetinkaya has a range of experience in structuring and administrating project-based courses from both academic and industrial perspectives.

Dr. Cetin Cetinkaya

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering

CAMP 241, P.O. Box 5725

Potsdam, NY13699

(315) 268-6514, Fax: (315) 268-6438, E-mail: cetin@clarkson.edu

Computational Mechanics, Vibration and Transient Analysis, Finite Element Method/Analysis, Composite Structures, Control Theory, Computational Biomechanics, Nonlinear and Stochastic Systems, and Computer Algebra and Supercomputing.

Assistant Professor (09/1997-Present)

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University

Engineering Applications Coordinator (05/1996-08/1997) Wolfram Research.

Member of the Research and Development Staff (08/1994-05/1996) Wolfram Research.

Co-Principal Investigator (04/1996-08/1997) National Science Foundation, Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Undergraduate Symbolic Computations in Engineering and Science Program

Associate Editor (05/1996-Present) SIGSAM Bulletin - ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Special Interest Group on Symbolic and Algebraic Manipulation.

Adjunct Lecturer (08/1995-08/1996) and Adjunct Assistant Professor (08/1996-Present) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (03/1991-05/1995)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

M.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (08/1987-03/1991)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (09/1982-06/1986)

Istanbul Technical University

1. Near Field Transient Axisymmetric Stress Wave Propagation in Layered Structures, C. Cetinkaya, J. Brown, A.A.F. Mohammed and A.F. Vakakis, Vol. 40, pp. 1639-1665, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 1997.

2. Transient Axisymmetric Stress Wave Propagation in Weakly Coupled Layered Structures, C. Cetinkaya and A.F. Vakakis, Vol. 194(3), pp. 389-416, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 1996.

3. Dispersion of Stress Waves in One-Dimensional Semi-Infinite, Weakly Coupled Layered, A.F. Vakakis, and C. Cetinkaya, accepted for publication, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 1995.

4. Axisymmetric Waves in Weakly Coupled Layered Media of Infinite Extent, C. Cetinkaya, A.F. Vakakis, and M. El-Raheb, Vol. 182(2), pp. 283-302, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 1995.

5. Analytical Evaluation of Periodic Responses of a Forced Oscillator, A.F. Vakakis and C. Cetinkaya, Vol.7, pp. 37-51, Nonlinear Dynamics, 1995.

6. Computer Algebra Application Packages for Mechanical Engineers, C. Cetinkaya, G. Keady, A. Triulzo, The Second Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics, June 19-22, 1997.

7. Computations of Transient Axisymmetric Waves in a Layered Medium, C. Cetinkaya, J. Brown, A.A.F. Mohammed, and A.F. Vakakis, Fourth International Congress on Sound and Vibration, St. Petersburg, Russia, June 24-27, 1996.

8. Computation of Transient Wave Transmission in a Layered Composite, C. Cetinkaya, A.F. Vakakis, 3rd International Conference on Composites Engineering, New Orleans, Louisiana, July 21-26, 1996.

9. Symbolic Computing in Stress Wave Propagation in Layered Structures, C. Cetinkaya and A.F. Vakakis, International Conference on Advances in Scientific Computing and Modeling, Charleston, Illinois, October 12-14, 1995.

10. Structural Mechanics, Engineering Software Package, Wolfram Research, Inc., 1997 (in production).

Prof. A. F. Vakakis, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

Dr. M. El-Raheb, Central Research, Dow Chemical Company,

Prof. G. Keady, Department of Mathematics, University of Western Australia,

A. Triulzo, Department of Mathematics, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London

A.J. Brown, Hughes Aircraft Company,

A.A.F. Mohammed, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

Prof. Leslie N. Russek, Physical Therapy, Clarkson University

Prof. Z. Gurdal, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic and State University,

Prof. G. Ahmadi, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University

Prof. P. Pillay, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clarkson University

Prof. M.N. Glauser, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University

Prof. C. Jahnke, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University

Prof. A. F. Vakakis, Ph.D. Dissertation Advisor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

Prof. S. N. Namachivaya, M.S. Thesis Advisor, Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Prof. A. F. Vakakis's Academic Advisor: Prof. Thomas K. Caughey, Professor of Applied Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology,

Prof. S. N. Namachivaya's Academic Advisor: Prof. S.T. Ariaratnam, Solid Mechanics Division, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Dr. L. N. Russek has been practicing and teaching physical therapy. She has experience in many aspects of biomedical engineering. Dr. Russek has received research grants from American Physical Therapy Association and National Institute of Health (National Research Support Award for research on muscle mechanics, Grant Number: 1 F32 AR08038-01). She is a licensed physical therapist and a certified Orthopedic Specialist (American Physical Therapy Association, New York License Number: 17154-1).

Dr. Leslie N. Russek

Division of Health Sciences

School of Science

Clarkson University

P.O. Box 5800, Potsdam, NY 13699

(315) 268-3786, Fax: (315) 268-6670, E-mail: lnrussek@agent.clarkson.edu

WORK EXPERIENCE:

HONORS AND AWARDS:

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP:

Member of American Physical Therapy Association orthopedics section 1989-present.

Member of American Physical Therapy Association research section 1994-present.

Member of National Headache Foundation, 1996-present.

Physiotherapy Associates Institutional Review Board member 1995-present.

1. Russek LN, Wooden M, Ekedahl S, Bush A. "Attitudes Towards Standardized Data Collection," Physical Therapy. 1997;77(7):714-729.

2. Russek LN. "Closed Kinetic Chain and Gait," chapter in Biomechanics of the Foot and Ankle, 2nd ed., by Robert Donatelli. 1996; F.A Davis, Philadelphia.

3. Lapidon SA, Huang BK, Russek LN, Brooks AE Fayazi A, Phair RD. "Mechanisms for Ca signaling in vascular smooth muscle: resolved from 45Ca uptake and efflux experiments." Cell Calcium. 1996;19:167-184.

3. Russek, LN. "Patient Health Care Choices for Musculoskeletal Problems." (abstract). Poster presentation at 1991 Annual APTA Conference, Boston, MA.

4. Strickberger, AS, LN Russek, and RD Phair. "Evidence for increased aortic plasma membrane calcium transport caused by experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits." Circulation Research. 1988, 62:85-89.

5. Russek, LN, and RD Phair. "Effects of reduced extracellular calcium on calcium metabolism in vascular smooth muscle" (Abstract). In: Regulation and Contraction of Smooth Muscle, edited by Siegman, MJ, Somlyo, AP, Stephens, NL. New York, Alan Liss Inc. 1987, p 481.

Collaborator on current proposal is co-principal investigator, Cetin Cetinkaya.

Other collaborations have been with persons listed as co-authors in publications listed above.

Graduate advisor was Dr. Robert Phair, Ph.D., Professor of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Postdoctoral advisor was Dr. David Warshaw, Ph.D., Professor of Physiology, University of Vermont.

Dean S. B. Feitelberg, School of Science, (Director of Division of Health Sciences, MA, PT, FAPTA) will serve as an external speaker and project advisor for Projects in Biomechanics. He has worked with the NASA Apollo project, on exercise programs for astronauts. He also worked with Lumex Corporation, Cybex Division, on development of isokinetic and assistive devices. Most recently he has worked with Associates in Physical and Occupational Therapy at the University of Vermont, developing assistive technology services for children and elders in the community.

For five years of NSF support (a maximum of $25K*5=$125K)

Summer salary for PI (0.25*5*6K = $7.5K)

Summer salary for co-PI (0.25*5*6K = $7.5K)

Summer Salary Support for Hourly Student Workers (1K*2*2*5=4K*5=$20K)

Two-month summer salaries of two students per year

To be determined

Professional Machining in the Research Machine Shop- ($2K*5 = $10K)

Domestic Travel ($2K*5=$10K) PI plus Team Leader - ASME (or ASEE) student design competition in the ASME (ASEE) meetings

Materials and Supply (5*$2K = $10K)

Instructional materials-videos, training materials, CD-ROMs and books, etc. ($1*5=$5)

100 59/129//N =45.73%

Estimated Total: 7.5*2 +20+9+15+35+10+10+10+5 = 129

Estimated Cost Sharing: 9+15+35 = 59

Estimated NSF Cost: 70

Current and Pending Support for Cetin Cetinkaya

Support: Current/Pending/Submission Planned in Near Future/Transfer of Support

Project/Proposal Title: Aeroelastic Wind Energy Converter

Source of Support: DARPA

Total Award Amount: $1,173,059.00

Total Award Period Covered: 48 months

Location of Project: Clarkson University

Person-Months Per Year Committed to the Project: Cal: 0 Acad: 1 Sumr: 0

Current and Pending Support for Leslie Russek

Current

None

Pending

None

The main necessary resources for Projects in Biomechanics include some general experimental hardware, computer hardware and the design and analysis software. The University and the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering already have a good collection of general-purpose analysis software, however the purchase and licensing of a set of specialized software from parametric design to nonlinear finite element analysis will be needed. Clarkson University has a consistent commitment to maintain and operate a number of modern computer laboratories. There are a number of student computer laboratories in the School of Engineering. Some of the available software tools to students include Autocad, Maple, Matlab (Simulink and many other applications toolboxes), Mechanical Desktop, Statistica as well as application development environments Visual C++ and Visual Basic. The university has a T3 Internet access and all dormitory rooms on campus are wired for fast network access.

Laboratory space for Projects in Biomechanics will be provided by either the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering or the Department of Physical Therapy. The design teams will use the provided space for storing equipment and materials and prototype products as well as product testing, team meetings, patient interviews, workshops, and briefings.

The University also has a fully equipped student machine shop where a collection of machining tools and staff technicians are available to help teams with their projects. For parts which require advanced machining skills, the research machine shop and staff technicians will be utilized.

A large portion of the operating cost will stem from the material and instrumentation needs of individual projects. A spectrum of additional internal and external funding opportunities for the operating cost of the laboratory is currently being sought.

2. Special Documents and Supplementary Documentation

1. United Cerebral Palsy of the North Country,
2. St. Lawrence County Public Health Department,
3. St. Lawrence-Lewis County Board of Cooperative Education Services (Assistive Technologies in the School System),
4. Canton-Potsdam Hospital
5. The Community Nursing Home of Potsdam,
6. MedLink of Northern New York (Home Health Care Provider)

Dr. E.F. Thacher: CAMP 243 268-3970 energy01@sun.soe.clarkson.edu

Dr. C. Cetinkaya: CAMP 241, 268-6514 cetin@clarkson.edu

Dr. E.F. Thacher: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 9:00am-11:00am

Dr. C. Cetinkaya: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 9:00am-11:00am

Course Objective: To gain experience and competence in product development as preparation for your first job. In this course, the first of a two-course sequence, teams will design a prototype, record the design in a set of engineering drawings, and produce a manufacturing plan based on those drawings. In the second course, ME446 Integrated Design II, the same teams will build and test the prototype according to the drawings and plan developed in ME445. The primary means of meeting the course objective will be through the direct, mentored experience of the teams. Some instruction in pertinent topics (see schedule below) will be provided.

Projects: A list of approved student-proposed projects was mailed this summer. Descriptions of several staff-proposed projects accompany this syllabus. Students not already part of a student-proposed project may organize teams around these latter projects.

Finances: There is no limit on the cost of a project; however, the expense to each design team member is not to exceed the typical cost of a textbook, taken to be $75.00.

Organization: The teams' first job will be to organize and report their organization to the Instructor. A team may acquire members from outside the MAE Department if it deems that necessary to accomplish its objective.

Outsourcing: Services may be procured from outside the team ("outsourcing") to execute a portion of the detailed design that may be beyond the capability of the team, such as an electronic control. Or, in the second semester, to perform manufacturing operations beyond the team's capability. In either case, outsourcing must be incorporated into the semester's project plan.

Milestones: Each team will complete a series of milestones. More information on the work to be accomplished by each milestone will be distributed separately. The milestones are:

1. Team composition and initial functional organization (written, 5 pts.);

2. Initial design specification (written, 10 pts);

3. First semester project schedule (written, 10 pts.);

4. Alternative concepts (oral, 10 pts.);

5. Concept selection (oral, 10 pts., and written, 15 pts.);

6. Engineering drawings and manufacturing plan (6A oral, 10 pts., and 6B written, 30 pts.)

The dates of these milestones are on the schedule below. Teams which complete milestone 6 early may begin construction of their prototype this term. To "complete...early" means that the Instructor has approved in writing the team's engineering drawings and manufacturing plan.

Reports: Each member of a team must participate in oral presentations approximately equally. A team must dress professionally when presenting its material for milestone 6A.

Written reports should be concise but complete, and clear.

Examinations: There will be no tests and no final examination.

Records: Each team must keep a design notebook. A team beginning construct-ion this semester must also keep a record of its finances, including invoices, receipts and expenditures.

Grades: Points will be assigned based on the quality of the technical work and technical communications, adherence to schedule, and teamwork, at each milestone.

All or a fraction of the milestone points allocated to teamwork will be assigned to individual team members by the Instructor. Each team's Project Leader will recommend points that fairly reflect the average teamwork of the member over the milestone period. The Project Leader will be evaluated by the Instructor. If a team member earns no teamwork points, this means that she or he did not participate in the work of the milestone. In that case, the team member will receive no points in any category for that milestone.

Schedule:

9/1 Lecture: Introduction and Course Structure, Speaker: M. Ensby, Team Building

9/3 Lecture: The Patent Process Speaker: Dr. Hopkins (RCT), Milestone 1

9/8 Video and Discussion: "How to Create a Junk Food" (NOVA Program)

9/10 Lecture: Specifications

9/15 Speaker: Project Planning I

9/17 Speaker: Project Planning II

9/22 Team Conference, Milestone 2

9/24 Lecture: Concept Generation

9/29 Team Conference, Milestone 4

10/6 Fall Break

10/8 Team Conference

10/13 Lecture: Modeling

10/15 Milestone 4

10/20 Lecture: Concept Selection

10/22 Team Conference

10/27 Team Conference

10/29 Milestone 5

11/3 Video and Discussion: "Design for Manufacturing" (SME)

11/5 Team Conference

11/10 Lecture: Detailed Design

11/12 Lecture: Manufacturing Plan

11/17 Lecture: The NERVA Engine Project

11/19 Lecture: Management of Technology

11/24 Team Conference

11/26 Thanksgiving

12/1 Lecture: Total Design Process

12/3 Milestone 6A

12/8 Team Conference

12/10 Team Conference

12/15 Milestone 6B

Tuesday, Thursday 1:00pm-2:15pm (Period X)

Lecture Wing 112 Tuesday, Thursday

Hamlin Power Tuesday

CAMP 163 Tuesday

To gain experience and competence in product design techniques, manufacturing methods, use of design and analysis tools, product management skills, technical reporting and teamwork skills. The main objective of the course is to prepare you for your first engineering job. In ME 446 Integrated Design II, the second of the senior level design course, the main emphasis will be on building and testing a prototype based on your design developed in ME 445 Integrated Design I.

There are eleven active projects in this course.

Team No. Project Title

Team 1 Model Power Plant

Team 2 Telescopic Sight Remote Magnifications Adjustment

Team 3 Multi-Gravity Research Welding System

Team 4 Solar Distiller

Team 5 Construction Lift Aid

Team 6 Hang Glider

Team 7 Competition Car Trailer Drag Reduction

Team 8 Driven Wheel Torque Sensor for a Solar Car

Team 9 Soil Thermoelectric Generation

Team 10 Tank Armor Design with Layered Tiles

Team 11 Human Impact Testing Apparatus

You will hold elections for the team leaders for this semester after Milestone 1 presentations. Adopt a democratic voting system and choose a team leader who, you believe, will do the job best in this semester. The team leaders for the previous semester may be re-elected, provided they are interested in the position. Provide the instructor with the name of your team leader for Spring 1998 on Thursday, February 5, 1998. The new team leaders will be in charge after this date.

If you have not taken ME445 last semester, you need to join a team and to study their design folder. Contact the instructor as soon as possible.

The progress in the course will be assessed by four milestones. For each Milestone, there are four types of points that will be assigned for your work; (i) technical content, (ii) technical communications, (iii) teamwork, and (iv) progress returns. The technical content points are assigned for the technical and scientific quality of the work performed in a milestone period for both oral presentation and written report. The technical communications points are for the clarity and soundness of oral presentations and written reports. The teamwork points are given for a team member’s overall role in the milestone period by team members. The progress return points are based on the timeliness of completing tasks and reporting skills. The technical content, technical communications, and progress returns points will be assigned by the instructor, while teams themselves will determine each team leader and team member’s teamwork points after each milestone presentation. Teamwork points for each milestone must be submitted with written Milestone reports.

You can earn up to five additional points by participating in an extra credit project. Contact the instructor for details.

There are two types of reports teams are going to prepare in this course; (i) Progress Returns, a quick bi-monthy reports e-mailed to the instructor, and (ii) Progress Reports (Milestones), which consist of oral presentations and written reports. Oral presentations are formal, and members are expected to dress professionally. The time period for each oral presentation is determined by multiplying the number of members in a team by 2.5 minutes, and after each presentation there will be a five-minute questions-answers session. For written reports, a format provided in ME 445 will be used. The main purpose of PRs is to allow members to report their progress very quickly, each team member must not spend more than 15 minutes in preparing a Progress Return. Team members will e-mail their PRs to their team leader, the team leader will put all PRs in a text file and e-mail it to the instructor. This e-mail message will be the Team Progress Return. However, members will be evaluated separately for their progress. A format for PRs is included.

Team leaders will prepare and e-mail the instructor six bi-monthly team progress returns during Spring 1998. These reports will consist of activity updates from each team member, where the team leaders and team members will explain what they have done for the last two weeks and what they plan to do in the next two weeks in concise form. All the activity must be consistent with the team production schedule and tasks and subtasks must be referred by their appropriate job identification numbers as given in the production schedule. Team leaders will compile PRs and will not make any changes, except some minor editorial improvements. The purpose of these PRs is to provide the instructor with timely updates which he will use to monitor the overall progress. The instructor will use these reports to provide feedback and to determine your progress return points for each milestone.

PR1 9:00am, February 2

PR2 9:00am, February 16

PR3 9:00am, March 2

PR4 9:00am, March 23

PR5 9:00am, April 6

PR6 9:00am, April 20

Project Title and Team No. : ………………..

Progress Return No. and Date : ………………..

Team Member Name : ………………..

Accomplished Tasks (in the past two weeks):

Incomplete Tasks:

Upcoming Tasks (in the next two weeks):

Notes:

(entries for all the rest of the team members including the Team Leader)

Milestone 1

Written Report: February 5, 1998

Points: Technical Content 4 Points

Written Report: March 5, 1998

Points: Technical Content 8 Points

Written Report: April 9,1998

Points: Technical Content 12 Points

Assignment: Give a professional product demo of the working prototype of your

Points: Technical Content 16 Points

In Projects in Biomechanics, a number of software packages for analysis and design are going to be utilized. Brief descriptions of some of software packages are given below.

Pro/ENGINEER is a mechanical design automation system based on a parametric, feature-based solid modeling technology. The product family consists of Pro/ENGINEER and a set of application-specific products that address the large spectrum of mechanical design-through-manufacturing processes. The strength of the Pro/ENGINEER product family stems from: (i) the parametric, feature-based capabilities provide engineers with ease and flexibility, (ii) the unique data structure of Pro/ENGINEER provides full associativity among all engineering disciplines, tying together the entire design-through-manufacturing of a product. These features enable engineering companies to develop their products and manufacturing processes concurrently, and to easily evaluate multiple design alternatives, resulting in better designed products, produced faster and at a lower cost. As a result, Pro/ENGINEER has been used by a very large number of companies worldwide. Parametric design features of Pro/ENGINEER and its applications specific products would help address the customization requirements in Projects in Biomechanics since customization will require to change many design parameters from design to design.

ABAQUS/Standard is a general purpose finite element analysis program with special emphasis on advanced linear and nonlinear structural engineering and heat transfer applications. ABAQUS/Standard has extensive material, element, and procedure libraries. Material models include plasticity for metals, plastics, foam, composites and concrete, as well as rubber and foam elasticity. This rich materials library makes ABAQUS an especially important tool for the Biomechanics Laboratory. Analysis capabilities include statics, dynamics, natural frequency extraction, acoustics, piezoelectricity, heat transfer, coupled temperature-displacement, and Joule heating, and a wide variety of general contact conditions can be specified. ABAQUS/Explicit is a transient dynamics program designed specifically for advanced nonlinear structural analysis needs. The graphical user interfaces ABAQUS/Pre and Post are used for interactive FE model creation and postprocessing of results.

ADAMS products line consist of a number of motion-analysis and kinematic synthesis packages used in automotive engineering applications. In ADAMS/View, the user defines objects with specified properties and constraints and creates a system by connecting these objects in many different ways. Geometries can also be created within other application programs and can be imported via many file formats. ADAMS/Solver forms and solves the equations of motion to provide the user with kinematic, static, and dynamic analyses of a system. ADAMS/View depicts how the configuration of the system evolves under given sets of conditions and plots various systems variables.

Some of the available constraints include pulleys, joints, dampers, ropes, inflexible rods, springs, actuators, and motors to join masses. Users constrain masses with pin, slot, keyed slot, and rigid joints, and specify forces acting on the model. The choice of the integrator primarily depends on the problem and accuracy goals of the analysis.

ADAMS/Android is a particularly relevant tool for Projects in Biomechanics since it enables the user to model and simulate human bodies in motion. One can use it to study the complex dynamic interaction between humans and mechanical systems, without risking the comfort and safety of live subjects.

LabVIEW is a widely used graphical programming environment for professional data acquisition and instrument control applications. The graphical programming language and a large set of integrated instrumentation libraries enables users to perform their jobs in a time-effective way. The stated goal of this software-hardware interfacing product is to transform a personal computer into an infinite number of virtual instruments. In this paradigm, the computer becomes a powerful, multipurpose laboratory tool that can replace expensive, outdated, fragile equipment. The cost of instrumentation and control systems used with LabVIEW makes it especially attractive for educational use. Applications developed in the LabVIEW environment can be run on as a stand-alone software package without licensing the LabVIEW software.

Due to the widespread use of LabVIEW, students working on Projects in Biomechanics will become skilled with hardware and software used throughout industry. Rather than focusing on sometimes-tedious methods of gathering data, students can focus on results and concepts. They will still learn methodology, but spend the majority of their time executing their experiments instead of building them. Therefore, we have decided that LabVIEW will be the main data acquisition and instrument tool in Projects in Biomechanics.