How we did it:
People used for analysis:
Description of equipment:
How it's done:
What we narrowed it down to:
- Five participants, three female, two male, volunteered to be analyzed
- Mass = 75.73 ±17.13 Kg
Height = 1.74 ±0.10 m
Age = 30 ±13 yr - All participants were healthy
Description of equipment:
- There are three force plates, two embedded in the ground and a third at the approximate height of a curb, 6.5 in.The ground reaction force for three steps, one on the curb, and two stepping down from the curb were recorded.
- We are using the Vicon nexus computer program, version 1.8.3. to collect the recorded force picked up by the plates
- Brower Timing Systems were used to keep the participants at a set velocity range.
How it's done:
- This experiment is about observations and effects: What is the ground reaction force and how is it affected when a step is made down from a curb?
- The participants start by walking back and forth on the walkway in order to adjust their velocity to the desired range.
- They were instructed to look straight ahead as much as possible, and to walk as naturally as possible.
- Observations were made as to where the participant was stepping on the force plate, and the starting position was adjusted in order to adjust where the steps would hit.
- After three good hits on each plate, the trial was concluded and the participant was free to go
- Graphs and force simulation projected onto VIcon nexus 1.8.3 were sent to a file to be filtered and analyzed.
What we narrowed it down to:
- When looking at the graphs, the data was limited to forces on the Y and Z axes.
- The Y axis: This collected anterioposterior force. From this, graphs were created and points were analyzed to find a negative peak, a positive peak, a negative impulse, a positive impulse, and the stance time.
- The Z axis: This was the vertical force. Points collected from here were for the two positive peaks, the one positive impulse, and the stance time.
- Five graphs were made: one for the average force for the y axis (anterioposterior), one for the z axis (vertical), a bar graph of stance time (with deviations), a bar graph for peaks (with deviations) and a bar graph for impulse (with deviations).