ABSTRACT
A device has been designed and fabricated to measure the cross-sectional area of soft connective tissues ex vivo. It consists of two displacement transducers; one sensing tissue thickness and the other sensing width. Outputs are recorded (via an analog to digital interface) using a personal computer. Numerical integration of a thickness versus width plot computes cross-sectional area. This plot also provides a quality check of acquired data. This device has been successfully used in biomechanical studies of rabbit patellar tendons, rat medial collateral ligaments, and dissected specimens of human fascia.
Subject(s)
Anthropometry/instrumentation , Connective Tissue/anatomy & histology , Equipment Design , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Theory, design and construction details are presented for a versatile strain gauge hand dynamometer. What distinguishes this instrument is that sensitivity is completely independent of the location. Force is applied so it is capable of linearly summing forces exerted at multiple locations along the length of the active area of the dynamometer. In addition to including the basic principles of this transducer, a template for the instrument and an accompanying spread sheet is provided for computing transducer response characteristics for instruments of arbitrary size, including sensitivity and force range, depending on particular measurement requirements. Variations of this dynamometer were constructed and used for measuring grip and pinch strength, as well as for measuring submaximal exertions produced during manual activities and tasks. Because this dynamometer is compact and rigid, one of suitable dimensions may be substituted as a handle for tools or objects handled during work for directly measuring applied exertions and grip force. Examples of practical applications of this instrument are given for hand biomechanics, hand tool ergonomics, and clinical evaluations.
