Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab
Explore the treadmill lab virtual reality space here!
Explore the walking lab virtual reality space here!
About the Lab
The Kevin P Granata Biomechanics Lab focuses on injury prevention and recovery in orthopedics. The lab studies different types of movement in both young athletes and older adults with the goal of translating this work into a clinical or athletic setting.
EMG: Electromyography
The lab uses a telemetry based EMG system that does not require the participant to be directly connected to a computer during testing, which enables the collection of data during dynamic tasks such as running, cutting, and jumping
Force Plates
The lab uses a system of four force plates to measure ground reaction forces (GRFs) and free moments about an axis during tasks such as walking, running, and jumping. GRF is the reaction to the force that a body exerts on the ground. According to Newton's 3rd Law of Motion that states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, GRF is thus the force exerted by the ground to the body. Moment is the measure of a force's tendency to cause a body to rotate about an axis or specific point. It is the product of the force value and the distance the force is applied away from the axis or point.
IMU: Inertial Measurement Unit
IMUs are electronic devices that use accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure the specific force and angular rate of an object.
loadsol® (novel® USA, St. Paul, MN)
The loadsol® is a pair of single sensor insoels that measure the pressure beneath the foot in real-time. It is a flat shoe insert that covers the entire plantar surface of the foot and can provide force-time curves for both feet during a variety of activities.
pedar-X® (novel® USA, St. Paul, MN)
Similar to the loadsol®, the pedar-X® is an in-shoe pressure measurement system. While the loadsol® is a single sensor, the pedar-X® contains 99 sensors that can record pressure, force, contact area, contact time, the force-time integral, and the timing of peak pressure.
QTM: Qualysis Track Manager
QTM is a software that captures data from the lab's motion capture systems. The software tracks the movement of markers placed on participants, and it also integrates with EMG, force plates, and other devices to provide real-time data.
Instrumented Treadmill
The lab uses an instrumented treadmill that utilizes front and back force plates to collect GRFs and free moments about each axis during extended walking and running trials. Refer to the Force Plates section for GRF and moment descriptions.