Area 3: A Human Motion Lab

Project History

“The AREA 3” project started with Fulvio Stradijot, a graduate in Physical Education, with a wide experience in the sports rehabilitation field, in the 2004 in Cantalupa, 35 km from Turin, the 2006 Winter Olympic Game site. Its goal was to cope with three aspects connected to human movement: injuries prevention, rehabilitation and functional evaluation. AREA 3 has been a rehabilitation and functional evaluation consultant  for Ergovision Lab, an Ergonomics and Biomechanics laboratory, located inside the PST (www.pst.it)Technological and Scientific Park of Tortona. Partnership for scientific research has been established with LISIN (Laboratory for Engineering of the Neuromuscular System, Polytechnic of Turin) (www.lisin.polito.it), an international excellence laboratory in the field of surface EMG.

Since October 2009 AREA 3 is located in Porto Conte Ricerche www.portocontericerche.it, one of the two scientific  and technological hubs of the Region of Sardinia. In Porto Conte Ricerche an advanced scientific laboratory is also located: AIMA (Advanced Imaging and Motion Analysis lab) operated by internationally well recognized experts (prof. Ugo Della Croce for motion analysis and prof. Enrico Grosso for advanced imaging). The synergy  between the AIMA lab and AREA 3 and the AIMA lab allow to apply a rigorous approach to numerous applications of human movement (bioengineering, rehabilitation, sports medicine, disability etc.) through advanced measurement and analysis techniques for movement (3-D movement kinetics and kinematics, jump assessment), muscle activity (EMG, isokinetics), balance (force platforms and balance electronic board) and to provide bio-feedbacks (virtual reality environments).

AREA 3 also provides services regarding human neuromuscular evaluation, R & D, training and education, and therefore is in the position of becoming a worldwide scientific hub for human motion applications.

AREA 3.1: NEUROMUSCULAR EVALUATION

Neuromuscular Human Performance Evaluation: the available equipment allows for the evaluation of kinematics and kinetics of motion, muscular strength, balance and electric muscular activity. Such information is crucial for a prompt strategy of intervention in rehabilitation, sports, forensic medicine, injuries prevention, disability etc. An on-site assessment service will be supplied to clients through  mobile operating units equipped with portable devices.

Human performance evaluation in relationship to environmental factors and devices: the available equipment also permits the analysis of environmental factors in relationship with the performance (i.e. playing surface) and used devices (i.e. sports shoes, orthotics and gym equipment).

Functional evaluation is critical to objectively reveal body sites of potential impairments in healthy and injured people. Useful information to assess individual abilities after a conservative or post-surgical treatment can be obtained by using different and complementary devices. It is also important to collect functional scores of healthy people with the aim to outline reference values, which may be used for comparison purposes in training programs.

EVALUATION SYSTEMS

BALANCE EVALUATION

What does it estimate? Balance abilities. It Is very useful in injuries prevention and after conservative and post-surgery rehabilitation.

Equipment: an electronic balance board  with a real-time biofeedback system.

ISOKINETICS

What does it estimate? Different parameters of muscular power, strength, work, allowing side to side comparison between several joints (knee, shoulder, ankle, wrist etc.)

Equipment: an isokinetics dynamometer, where loads, represented by different angular speeds,are constant and adapt  themselves to the efforts of the analyzed users.

JUMP TEST

What does it estimate? Height and other parameters of mono and bilateral jumps.

Equipment: two different devices (optic fibre bars and a wearable belt equipped with a sensorized  tool).

KINEMATICS

What does it estimate? Different motion tasks  (walking, running, jumping, cut-off etc.)

Equipment: a 10-infrared camera motion capture system, able to acquire data at 200 images (1.4 Mpixel) per second.

KINETICS

What does it estimate? It measures ground reaction forces and, if combined to the 3-D motion capture system data, allow for the estimate of joint expression of powers.

Equipment: two force platforms.

WIRELESS SURFACE EMG

What does it estimate? The electric muscular activity, by giving information about the way muscles work during a specific motor task.

Equipment: a 16-channel wireless EMG system can be synchronized to the motion capture system.

VIRTUAL REALITY APPLICATION

What does it estimate? It allow to generate environments that can enhance motor capabilities of the analysed subjects.

Equipment: a second real time motion capture system (6-cameras, 2 Mpixel, 240 samples per second) that can be combined with a virtual reality helmet.

AREA 3.2: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Consultancy service for development, implementation and validation of methods (protocols) and materials (devices) for the improvement of human performance:  companies working in the same area will take advantage of the centre’s equipment and of the interdisciplinary approach, in order to develop new devices or to improve the ones already existing.

Testing materials: products connected with performance measures and others (sports shoes, playing surfaces, sportswear etc.) will find a place for testing to optimize their features, according with ergonomics and biomechanics.

Research support: AREA 3 will be also a useful support for scientific research projects financed by public and private institutions.

AREA 3.3: EDUCATION

Training courses and professional specialization: Porto Conte Ricerche with its laboratories,congress venues and facilities and set in a valuable background,  is the ideal location for cultural, professional and scientific growth. It is possible to organize trainings courses  and seminars about  methodologies of motor performance assessment and other topics concerning human motion, like rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, injuries prevention etc.