title: Muscle reflection human computer model in wheelchairs traveling in motor vehicles.
abstract: In this study, a human motion computer model in a wheelchair was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of a seatbelt for disabled people traveling in a motor vehicle. The human model was composed of two rigid links and three masses. This model was characterized with muscle reflection defined by Hill's equation. A sudden stop experiment by using a carriage on which a wheelchair was fixed with a subject was performed to obtain the human muscle parameters and to evaluate the model. Volunteer subjects including disabled people participated in the experiment. The motion and muscle activity of a subject wearing a seatbelt were simulated by this model. The muscle reflection of disabled people was stronger than that of normal people in the case of not using a seatbelt, but in the case of using a seatbelt the muscle reflection of disabled people was similarly weak with normal people. The result of computer simulation showed that a seatbelt is more important for disabled people than for normal people.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 6-6 Asahigaoka, Hino, Tokyo, Japan. junichi16@mac.com
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aomura
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D004869:Equipment Safety / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014910:Wheelchairs