Biomechatronics, Assistive Devices, Gait Engineering, and Rehabilitation Laboratory

February 2022 – New Paper on Wearable Estimates of Muscle-Tendon Power in the Soleus and Gastrocnemius on different slopes

Soleus Work Loops for Uphill Slopes

Congratulations to Sara Harper on publication of our second paper on using wearable Tendon Tensiometry for real-world experiments in the muscle-tendon kinetics of locomotion. This paper, done in collaboration between UW BADGER Lab and the UW NMBL, combines tensiometry-based Achilles tendon measurements with ankle and knee kinematics from wearable inertial sensors while subjects walked up and down a hill in the neighborhood nearby. We modeled muscle length changes based on ankle and knee angles and divided the measured load across the soleus and gastrocnemius, then combined these together to estimate separate work loops for the gastrocnemius and soleus muscle-tendon groups. It’s an exciting next-step in our effort to further build up Real World Biomechanics capabilities!

The full article can be found in the open-access journal Sensors:

S. E. Harper, D. G. Schmitz, P. G. Adamczyk, and D. G. Thelen, “Fusion of Wearable Kinetic and Kinematic Sensors to Estimate Triceps Surae Work during Outdoor Locomotion on Slopes,” Sensors, vol. 22, no. 4, Art. no. 4, 2022, doi: 10.3390/s22041589.