Kinematic Assessment of Real‐time Motion Acquisition of the Human Musculoskeletal System by Dynamic 4D Transversal Imaging.
The aim of this IRP theme is to develop a system for the non‐invasive, in‐vivo, intra‐articular kinematic assessment of human skeletal structures and soft tissues in real‐time movement. We want to achieve this by combining dynamic 4D CT scanning with a markerless motion tracking system. In addition, we develop an experimental support system that allows 4D scanning in real-time movement, and a software for processing the acquired image data that generates 4D models through rendering tasks and augmented reality for the visual presentation and biokinetic parametrisation of the patient movement. In this second IRP term we will focus on translational research with clinical and non-clinical end points. From a clinical perspective, we will investigate whether this approach can help to detect and describe early signs of joint pathology (compared to standard of care clinical procedures) and we will investigate the effectiveness of treatment (either surgical or conservative) of patients suffering from joint pathology. At first, we will focus on knee, wrist and hand pathology. Within the scope of rehabilitation medicine, we aim to provide more insight in the tissue movements of the knee for a specific exercise (squat) in both healthy and (early) osteoarthritis subjects. 4D rendering will be made available through computers and augmented reality in order to provide direct feedback during rehabilitation. This will be an innovative added value in both clinical and educational contexts. From non-clinical perspective we will investigate if dynamic CT measurements can increase our understanding of the deformation of soft tissues under forces applied by robotic exoskeletons. This data will help rationalize the design of human-exoskeleton interfaces (cuffs, straps etc.) and improve their ergonomy and effectiveness by enabling computer-aided design.
More information: https://researchportal.vub.be/en/projects/kinematic-assessment-of-realtime-motion-acquisition-of-the-human-
Funding: VUB Interdisciplinary Research Programmes
RERE PIs: Prof. Eva Swinnen & Prof. David Beckwée