Development of a virtual platform to simulate human lower extremity kinematics for motion analysis

• Main Author: Tee, Liang Song
• Other Authors: Hoon Kay Hiang
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Assistive technology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/60955
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Simulation of the human body can take many forms. This project serves to replicate joint motion for the human lower extremity in a 3D computer model. The featured joints in the model used are the hip, knee and ankle joints. This model considers the hip joint as a 3 dof joint, the knee joint as a single dof joint, and the ankle as a 2 dof joint. The CAD model was developed using Solidworks and was combined with the Softmotion module in LabVIEW in order to achieve simulation. The experiment used varying signals from 3 potentiometers to simulate electrical signals from the joint angles. Our block diagram in LabVIEW was able to effectively interpret these electrical signals as joint angles and translate the signals into data types suitable for Solidworks to process. Our model was able to achieve a normal range of motion of the 3 featured joints and was also able to reproduce the same movements after the simulation was completed. Complex motions like 3D analysis of the human gait could not be achieved due to software limitations that are inherent in this software combination.