Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Meaningful and innovative biomechanical and biomedical engineering research depends on the robust and accurate measurement of human behaviours and physiological signals. The most critical aspects of biomechanical assessment relate to body motion, or kinematics, and muscular activation strategies to achieve that motion. Our current motion capture and electromyography systems are obsolete, unserviceable, and markedly inferior to modern systems and must be replaced in order for our programs to maintain our leadership positions in biomechanical research. This equipment proposal requests funds to support the acquisition of an integrated biosignal system that is capable of synchronized collection of motion and muscular recruitment data, at various levels of fidelity and for a range of laboratory and field investigations. The system includes state-of-the-art, precise optical and inertial motion tracking capabilities, along with a flexible electromyography capability that enables regular surface, indwelling, and HD-EMG measurements. These capabilities are harmonized within a single-source solution that enables real time evaluation of signal quality, synchronization, visualization of primary and derivative values of interest, including automated calculation of scientific consensus measures. The biosignal system represents a quantum leap forward in connectivity of data streams and opens many possibilities for advanced collaborations between the co-applicants and across the University of Waterloo. Emergent questions in tissue damage pathways, assistive device design, environmental design, soft robotics utilization, age-related changes in neuromusculoskeletal function, along with fundamental research on intricate human body mechanics  are addressable with the proposed system. Four independently highly-successful research programs in kinesiology, mechanical, systems, and biomedical engineering will converge to use this equipment to approach a vast range of topics and expand cross-disciplinary research in the biomechanics realm. Merging principles of science and engineering to pursue new technologies and improved understanding of the interaction of humans with these technologies has transformational power. The cross-pollination will create an inclusive and expansive environment to help produce broadly trained HQP to develop exceptionally relevant skills to succeed in industry, academic research, and in the public sector to prevent disability and tissue damage across society. Meaningful progress on the many collaborative themes planned depends on high quality data, and acquiring such data requires a new biosignal collection system. This urgent catalyst is imperative to maintain and accelerate the full scope of innovative research visions of the co-applicants in the biomechanics and biomedical engineering fields.