VACMARL Software Improvements

April 28, 2009 -- The Jesse Brown VA Chicago Motion Analysis Research Laboratory (VACMARL) upgraded its data capture and editing software to Cortex, by Motion Analysis Corporation (Santa Rosa, CA). This 3D real-time motion capture program integrates tracking, editing, scripting and modeling functions. New functions include the built-in Force Plate Configuration Editor that supports moving force plates and the improved Sky scripting interface that offers command-line mode for greater ease in batch processing. VACMARL also acquired Visual3D TM (Advanced Software for 3D Motion Analysis) by C-Motion, Inc. (Germantown, MD). This product supports VACMARL’s custom marker configurations as well as a conventional gait marker set, advanced modeling capabilities, virtual markers, real-time analysis, and data management and report generators. These two software programs ensure that VACMARL research meets or exceeds the highest scientific standards for accuracy in gait and motion analysis.

Center for the Intrepid and TATRC Representatives Visit NURERC

April 22 and 23 -- Troy Turner, MS, manager of the Advanced Prosthetics and Human Performance (AP&HP) at the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), visited NURERC on April 22 to explain TATRC’s goals, research areas and application procedures for funding. On April 23, LTC Rachel Evans, PT, PhD (see photo, Dr. Evans (left) with Dr. Gard) , Research Director of the Center for the Intrepid (CFI) visited NURERC. On both days, Steven A. Gard, PhD, Director of NURERC welcomed the visitors to NURERC and hosted a tour of the laboratory. NURERC researchers explained this lab’s ongoing and prospective research projects.

TATRC shapes the use of congressionally allocated funds to Department of Defense (DoD) relevance. Within TATRC, AP&HP finances specific areas of prosthetics research designed to enable veterans with amputations to attain the highest quality of life. CFI represents state-of-the-science clinical programs that provide comprehensive, outpatient rehabilitation and maximize performance for military persons with amputations. At CFI, clinical needs drive research. Focusing on amputation and limb salvage, CFI promotes research that promotes optimal outcome, specifically the re-deployment of military patients to active duty. Mr Turner and LTC Dr Evans visited NURERC to define and evaluate specific research topics in prosthetic engineering that are consonant with funding initiatives at TATRC and CFI.

Andrew Hansen, Ph.D., Visits Center for the Intrepid

April 17, 2009 -- Andrew Hansen, PhD, was invited to present a talk entitled “Simple Models for the Biologic Ankle-Foot Complex: Applications for Ankle-Foot Prostheses” at the Center for the Intrepid (CFI), located at the Brooke Army Medical Center (San Antonio, TX). Several members of the CFI research team attended Dr Hansen’s talk, including LTC Rachel Evans, PT, PhD (Research Director for the CFI) and Jason Wilken, PhD, MPT (Director of the Military Performance Laboratory).

Dr Wilken hosted the visit and conducted Dr Hansen on a tour of the CFI facilities. While discussing ongoing projects at CFI and NURERC, Drs Wilken and Hansen identified many similar interests including the fact that both had studied ankle-foot systems for their doctoral work. They discussed potential collaboration on future studies.

Fatone and Malas Present Workshops

April 16-17, 2009 -- Stefania Fatone, PhD, BPO(Hons), together with Bryan Malas, MHPE, CO, presented two workshops on Lower Limb Orthotics at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) “Annual Interdisciplinary Stroke Course, The Brain and Body Connection After Stroke.” Bryan Malas, Director, Orthotics/Prosthetics Department, Moira Tobin Wickes Orthotics Program, Children’s Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL), spoke as Guest Faculty.

The course provided theoretical and clinical advances in the management of stroke rehabilitation. Workshops and lectures addressed new research in neuroscience, cognitive and motor function, as well as the practical management of stroke for professionals and families.

Hansen Keynote Speaker at Amsterdam

April 8, 2009 -- Andrew Hansen, PhD, was an invited keynote speaker at the 4th International State-of-the-Art Congress “Rehabilitation: Mobility, Exercise & Sports” held at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from April 7-9. This annual 3-day conference attracts worldwide experts in the field of rehabilitation, mobility, exercise and sports whose research focuses on mobility restoration, active lifestyle, exercise training, and sports in the context of contemporary rehabilitation practice. Dr Hansen’s keynote speech was “Roll-over Shape as a Tool for Design, Alignment, and Evaluation of Ankle-Foot Prostheses and Orthoses.” Dudley S. Childress, PhD, a mentor and collaborator of Dr Hansen, co-authored the work.

In his keynote address, Dr Hansen discussed rocker modeling of walking and direct measurements of effective rockers, or roll-over shapes, of lower limb systems in able-bodied persons who maintain an invariant roll-over shape when walking at different speeds, using different footwear, and carrying different amounts of weight added to the trunk. These findings are important to design and evaluate prosthetic feet and to understand transtibial alignment. Finally, Dr Hansen described NURERC’s development of ankle-foot prostheses that are adaptable to variable terrain.

Margrit Meier visits from University of Strathclyde, collaborates on research
 
October 2, 2008 -- Margrit Meier, PhD, CPO, (see photo) Director of Research, National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland), returned to NUPRL on September 25 and 26.  Dr Meier was a Research Assistant Professor at NUPRL.  She conducted research at NUPRL for six years until 2006 when she accepted her current post in Scotland.  Dr Meier and members of her research team, Jake Duers, P&O Technician, and Lynne O’Hare, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, discussed ongoing and future collaborative research on the Shape&Roll Prosthetic Foot with Andrew Hansen, PhD, Kerice Tucker, Research Engineer, and other members of NURERC.