An exhaustive list of equipment at CADENCE can be found here

Kinematics

Marker-based, markerless, and inertial measurement unit-based motion capture can be used to analyse motion in studies aimed at better understanding pathologies that impact gait. Motion capture can help engineers who develop rehabilitation devices such as exoskeletons better understand their effect and quantify the clinical results of applying their device. The CADENCE core-facility also has competence in understanding shoulder kinematics using these motion capture strategies and comparing the results of this motion capture with existing clinical tests. Common clinical tests include the empty can test (also known as Jobe test) for the assessment of the supraspinatus tendon, the external rotation lag sign for the infraspinatus tendon, the Hornblower’s sign for the teres minor tendon, and the lift-off test, belly press test and bear-hug test for the subscapularis tendon. However, these tests are only regarded as negative (no deficiency) or positive when a weakness or lag is detected. Thus, results are highly subjective. Motion capture can provide objective quantification of movements. All motion capture methods and clinical tests can be used in combination in the same space.

Surface Electromyography and Inertial Measurement Units

Spastic equinus, or drop foot (EFD), is a movement restriction of the foot that leads to severe limitations in daily life and can occur in several conditions, such as cerebral palsy or stroke. Custom orthoses made by orthopaedic technicians are critical to providing optimal support and maximising patient benefit. Patients’ gait function is still evaluated by visual inspection by the orthopaedic technician with a focus on specific aspects of gait. Wearable sensors such as the surface electromyography and inertial measurement units available at the CADENCE core-facility can be used towards the development of a wearable sensor-based gait analysis system thereby improving the initial orthotic fitting and the entire continuum of patient care in the future. This could be applied to a variety of other pathologies since wearable sensors are highly portable and usable both in and outside of the lab. This portability also opens the door to more long term daily life investigations.

Rehabilitation Robotics

The FLOAT is a rehabilitation robot that provides customized body weight support allowing patients with neurological injuries to begin training sooner after injury. The FLOAT can be used in clinical research to examine the effect of body weight support on gait and rehabilitation outcomes, and in robotics research to explore the control of rope robots. Having this CE marked medical device in a pure research setting will allow for the testing of new control methods and training techniques that can be more seamlessly translated to clinics. The FLOAT can easily be used in combination with other equipment in the CADENCE facility such wearable EMG, IMU, as well as motion capture systems and virtual reality.

Kinetics

The Humac Norm dynamometer can be used to assess muscle strength, which is of particular importance for the shoulder joint, as the shoulder is primarily stabilized by the rotator cuff muscles. The rotator cuff facilitates and enables smooth movement of the shoulder, while keeping the glenohumeral joint centralized, thereby providing the large range of motion needed for many daily activities. Assessing muscle strength plays a crucial role in the clinical evaluation of patients not only with musculoskeletal dysfunction, but also with neurological disorders. Furthermore, muscle strength evaluation can be used to monitor patient progress during rehabilitation

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