The mission of the HMBL is fall and musculoskeletal injury prevention in healthy and clinical
young/elderly adult populations.
Our lab team aims at achieving those goals by gaining a thorough
understanding of the biomechanical and postural control
principles that
govern human movement, balance during standing/walking, and performance of
occupational tasks. More specifically, for a given environment and task
constraints, we attempt to elucidate the multidimensional sensory, motor and
biomechanical requirements required to minimize the risk of falls and
musculoskeletal injuries. Current research projects range from fall
prevention following external disturbances such as slipping to
ergonomic-related research. In conjunction with
experimental studies, biomechanical computer modeling is used to gain a
greater understanding of the impact of environmental and human factors on
the risk of falls and injury.
Housed in the
Department of Bioengineering and
situated in Benedum Engineering Hall at the
University
Pittsburgh, HMBL is designed and equipped to
analyze the dynamics of human motion ranging from gross movement involved in gait
to finger/hand movements during typing. HMBL is part of a larger effort
including other laboratory facilities (the
Medical Virtual Reality Center, the
Jordan Center for Balance Disorders and the
Augmented Human Performance Laboratory) located in the Departments of
Bioengineering and
Otolaryngology. A
multidisciplinary group of researchers including biomechanical engineers,
physicians (geriatricians, neurologists and psychiatrists), and physical/occupational
therapists works in
close collaboration
across these facilities to achieve our research goals.
HMBL's
research funding is provided by various external and internal sources.
External sources include
National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH),
National Institutes of Health (NIH),
Department of Veterans
Affairs and industry
interested in participating in ergonomic efforts. Among HMBL's internal
sources of support are the Department of Bioengineering (via the Whitaker
Foundation),
School
of Engineering,
Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center,
Central Research Development Fund, and
Office of Research at the University of Pittsburgh.
University
of Pittsburgh, Department of Bioengineering
