19. Biomechanics and Orthopedics (cont.)

Frontiers of Biomedical Engineering (BENG 100)

Professor Saltzman begins the lecture with discussion of the importance of motion for the survival and propagation of any living species. He presents the different modes of motion, taking first the example flight to talk about force balance, such as the magnitude of propulsive force that must be generated overcome drag to produce forward motion. Next, the mechanics of walking, running, cycling and swimming is discussed, with emphasis on efficient use of energy, overcoming drag and friction, and the influence of organism shape and size. An equation to calculate drag force of a spherical object of radius, r, moving at velocity, v, in a medium with viscosity, μ, is introduced: Fd = 6πvμr. Finally, Professor Saltzman talks about design of the artificial hip, which biomedical engineers must take into consideration the biomechanics and natural function of the pelvic bone.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction to Locomotion
09:10 - Chapter 2. The Mechanics of Flight
18:28 - Chapter 3. The Physics of Walking
26:53 - Chapter 4. Efficiencies of Walking, Running, Cycling
37:56 - Chapter 5. Mechanics and Efficiency of Swimming
45:04 - Chapter 6. Design in Biomechanics and Conclusion

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2008.