Date of Award

2012-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Computer Engineering

Advisor(s)

Thompson Sarkodie-Gyan

Abstract

Human dynamic behavior in space is very complex in that it involves many physical, perceptual and motor aspects. It is tied together at a sensory level by linkages between vestibular, visual and somatosensory information that develop through experience of inertial and gravitational reaction forces. Coordinated movement emerges from the interplay among descending output from the central nervous system, sensory input from the body and environment, muscle dynamics, and the emergent dynamics of the whole neuromusculoskeletal system.

There have been many attempts to directly capture the activities of the neuronal system in human locomotion without the ability to clarify how the nervous system adaptively functions as a dynamic system and how it effectively coordinates adaptive interactions with the musculoskeletal system during locomotion. Other studies have tried to artificially emulate locomotion by using mathematical models and robots based on control theory, without any success in the understanding of biological locomotor mechanisms, as the control laws are artificially constructed solely based on an engineering perspective independent of actual biological mechanisms.

This research applies fuzzy granular computing and the fusion of multiple wearable sensor data to analyze human dynamic behavior in 3D space. The outcome of this system may yield cues for the estimation of external stimuli and/or compensatory responses depending upon which factors are controlled.

This novel system has been tested and evaluated using two groups of subjects, able-bodied and neurological patients. The results show a high ability of the system to facilitate an objective and quantitative assessment of functional gait impairment.

This study provides a potential base for a flexible, efficient and cost-effective system for clinical gait assessment, a system to assist both doctors and clinicians in the diagnosis of pathological gait impairments, prescribe treatment, and assess the improvements in response to therapeutic intervention.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

114 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Murad Mohammad Alaqtash

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