KIN 3341 - Assignment 3: Biomechanics of Movement
Objective of Assignment
This assignment will give you a chance to deepen your knowledge in an area of biomechanics
that interests you. We expect that you will remember what you learn from writing this paper long
after the class is over. This assignment will get you into the literature where you can see for
yourself the results of biomechanics research. This paper may also serve as a springboard for
your future independent studies or research projects. The assignment will help hone your critical
reading and writing skills, which are helpful in many endeavors. This will also give you some
team project experience.
Overview of Assignment
Survey the literature on a specific topic in the field of movement biomechanics. Describe the
current state-of- the-art and suggest areas that require further research. Then briefly describe
how you would investigate a specific problem yourself.
Some general areas from which you can choose a topic include: sports biomechanics,
measurement of muscle strength, development of muscle strength, motion and gait analysis,
dynamic simulations of movement, biomechanics of surgical reconstructions, functional
neuromuscular stimulation, joint biomechanics, electromyography, muscle biology and
mechanics, muscle models, muscle injury, motion analysis equipment and techniques, animal
locomotion, neural control of movement, robotics, computer- assisted surgery, medical imaging,
biomedical computation and visualization, computer animation, digital creatures, evolution of
gait, or other areas related to biomechanics of movement. From these general areas you should
choose a specific topic to investigate. Some topics and titles are listed below.
Example Topics and Titles
Gait analysis for surgical planning: benefits and limitations
The influence of energy storing prosthetic feet on knee motion in below knee amputee walking
The variation of muscle physiological cross-sectional areas with aging
Optimization techniques for calculating muscle forces Strength of muscles crossing the shoulder
and elbow Surgical planning using medical imaging
The role of muscles in providing joint stability Robots that walk and hop
Quantification of spasticity
