Biomechanics and Ergonomics Lab

Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
What the facility does

Research on human movement performance in occupational, clinical and sport settings

Areas of expertise

How we move matters! Movement is the lynchpin of any strategy to help match an individual’s capability to their work, life or sport demands. For example, if a worker develops chronic pain, it may be caused by an overly repetitive demanding movement, or a worker could develop a muscle or tendon strain while attempting to meet the demands of an awkward task. On the capacity side of the equation, nearly every aspect of exercise or injury rehabilitation is related to movement — how often, in which direction, and under how much load. The Biomechanics and Ergonomics Lab provides a holistic measure of human performance, in order to estimate the impact of demands on the body and to understand how effective an individual is at leveraging their available capacity to meet those demands.  We use this information to help improve the match between their demands and capacity by reducing the demand, improving the capacity, or improving technique to optimize performance.

Research services

Human movement analysis, human factors evaluation, ergonomic design, strength testing

Sectors of application
  • Automotive
  • Defence and security industries
  • Healthcare and social services
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
  • Management and business related services
  • Manufacturing and processing

Specialized lab

Equipment

Function

Gait Lab

Qualisys Motion analysis system

A unique camera system that allows us to track human movements during occupational, clinical, or sport performance.

 

Delsys Electromyography system 

A system that allows us to record the level of muscular activation that is required when an individual completes an occupational, clinical, or sport-relevant task.

 

AMTI Force measurement sensors 

An exceptional complement of force measurement equipment that allows us to record how much force an individual is exerting through each limb.

Strength Lab

HUMAC® NORM™ Isokinetic dynamometer 

This device allows us to measure an individual’s joint strengths to determine their baseline capability, decreased capability due to injury, or increased capability due to training- based enhancements.

Data Analysis Lab

Qualisys Visual3D Professional 

Visual3D is the premier 3D analysis toolkit required to perform 3D biomechanics modelling, analysis, and reporting functions. It is used to measure and quantify movement as collected by a 3D motion capture system.

 

DELMIA digital human modelling and simulation software

With DELMIA you can design and test in a simulated production environment. Using life-sized mannequins, we can evaluate ergonomics and human factors at all levels of virtual design, manufacturing, and maintainability.  This software enables us to verify and evaluate how a worker may interact with workplace design and products, proactively, to guide design decisions, preventing a costly reactive design change downstream.

  • Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada
  • Canadian Armed Forces
  • Hastings-Quinte Emergency Medical Services
  • Ryerson University
  • Wilfrid Laurier University
  • University of New Brunswick
  • Ottawa Paramedics Service
  • CBI Workplace Solutions
  • Manulife Financial

Title

URL

A pain in the neck – Queen’s Gazette Story

http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/pain-neck