Engineering Center Room 1308
Phone: 404-385-6033, Fax:404-894-9982
Research Interests
Clinical biomechanics is an applied science that encompasses several disciplines including anatomy, engineering, medicine, motor control, neuroscience, orthopaedics, orthotics, prosthetics, physiology, rehabilitation, sports science and many others. The aim of The Clinical Biomechanics Laboratory at Georgia Tech is to study various pathological conditions as they relate to orthotics prosthetics and rehabilitation and to bridge the translational research gap. Our vision is to develop new evaluation tools and treatment methods to assist clinicians in improving the quality of patient’s lives.
The main area of interest in the lab is the influence foot orthoses have on plantar foot pressures. Currently the lab is evaluating orthotic wedges to determine there effect on load transmission shifts during standing and walking. Another area of interest is determining the pressure tolerant areas of the foot relative to the orthotic interface contours. The purpose of this investigation is evaluate how the shape of an orthosis displaces plantar soft tissues and what plantar pressure distribution patterns can be predicted.
Georgia Institute of Technology is university participant in a National Science Foundation Center Grant titled the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (www.ccefp.org). In conjunction with the University of Illinois’s Mechanical and Aerospace engineering departments, the CBL is involved in a test bed research project assessing the feasibility of fluid power for use in orthoses. The research has already led to the development of a prototype AFO that harvests air to control a mechanical ankle joint. We are currently developing another AFO system that provides power at the push off phase of stance during walking.
Ocular prosthetics (artificial eyes) has a limited body of knowledge that is research based, with fundamental questions on their motility and suspension not understood. Therefore the CBL will conduct investigations on motility of ocular prosthesis and the biomechanics of suspension. In addition, an improved knowledge of the material processing of poly methylmethacrylate, the material an ocular prosthesis is fabricated out of, is also under investigation.
Personnel
- Director:
- Géza F. Kogler, PhD
- PhD Students:
- William Cusack
- Chris Hovorka (Faculty & PhD Student)
- Graduate Students (MSPO):
- Joseph Azzarello
- Kier Book
- Gloria Cho
- Lisa Huffman
- Josh Kessler
- Natalie Joe
- Daniel Marler
- Shannon Mullaney
- David Spain
- Undergraduate Students:
- Paul DeVito (BIO)
- Emily Dudek (BME)
- Emily Littrell (BME)
- Ivan-Thibault Pham (BME)
Current Research Projects
- Tissue Mechanics
- Forefoot Rollover Mechanics
- Foot and ankle biomechanics
- Fluid-powered orthotic control systems
- Foot orthoses
- Therapeutic rehabilitation strategies for lower extremity amputation
- Orthotic management of the foot in patients with diabetes
- Biomechanics of ophthalmic prostheses (artificial eyes)
- Materials science in orthotics and prosthetics
Research Opportunities
The Clinical Biomechanics Laboratory (CBL) was established in 2008 to foster research and scholarly activity for students and faculty interested in orthotics, prosthetics and rehabilitation. One of the major objectives of the laboratory is to train graduate students at the masters and pre-doctoral level in interdisciplinary research techniques.
Recent Publications
- Chin R, Hsiao-Wecksler ET, Loth E, Kogler GF, Manwaring SD, Tyson SN, Shorter KA, Gilmer JN, “A self-contained pneumatic power harvesting ankle-foot orthosis to prevent foot-drop.” Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation , In Review.
- Brodtkorb TH, Kogler GF, Arndt T, “The influence of metatarsal support height and longitudinal axis position on plantar foot loading.” Clinical Biomechanics. Jun;23(5):640-7. 2008.
- Lee MS, Vanore JV, Thomas JL, Catanzariti AR, Kogler G, Kravitz SR, Miller SJ, Gassen SC, “Diagnosis and treatment of adult flatfoot.” J Foot Ankle Surg. Mar-Apr;44(2):78-113. 2005.
- Kogler GF, Veer F, Verhulst SJ, Solomonidis SE, Paul JP “The Effect of Heel Elevation on Strain in the Plantar Aponeurosis. In vitro study” Foot & Ankle International, 22:433-439, 2001.