We describe an instrument that assesses two features of the gait of rats, spatiotemporal paw movement variables (SPMV) and ground reaction forces (GRF) in the vertical direction. The GRF and the SPMV variables are measured electrically by eight single axis load-cells that support two floor plates. We can derive four gait parameters from the SPMV and GRF measured by the instrument: the stride length of individual limbs, the maximum and mean vertical ground forces, and the intensity of the vibrations created by each paw during locomotion. Measurements of the vertical GRF show errors of less than 3.5%; errors in the determination of the paw positions, used to derive stride lengths, are less than 9 mm. Here we report the stride length, maximum and mean GRF values, and the intensity of the floor vibrations of healthy adult mature rats. Our instrument is capable of evaluating changes in these gait parameters in rat models of injury and disease.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2008 9th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis
July 7–9, 2008
Haifa, Israel
Conference Sponsors:
- International
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4836-4
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
An Instrument That Simultaneously Measures Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Ground Reaction Forces of Locomoting Rats Available to Purchase
U. Tasch,
U. Tasch
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
P. Moubarak,
P. Moubarak
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
W. Tang,
W. Tang
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
L. Zhu,
L. Zhu
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
R. M. Lovering,
R. M. Lovering
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Roche,
J. Roche
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
R. J. Bloch
R. J. Bloch
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Search for other works by this author on:
U. Tasch
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
P. Moubarak
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
W. Tang
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
L. Zhu
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
R. M. Lovering
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
J. Roche
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
R. J. Bloch
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Paper No:
ESDA2008-59085, pp. 45-49; 5 pages
Published Online:
July 6, 2009
Citation
Tasch, U, Moubarak, P, Tang, W, Zhu, L, Lovering, RM, Roche, J, & Bloch, RJ. "An Instrument That Simultaneously Measures Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Ground Reaction Forces of Locomoting Rats." Proceedings of the ASME 2008 9th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis. Volume 2: Automotive Systems; Bioengineering and Biomedical Technology; Computational Mechanics; Controls; Dynamical Systems. Haifa, Israel. July 7–9, 2008. pp. 45-49. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ESDA2008-59085
Download citation file:
14
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Predictive Control for Manual Plasma Arc Pipe Welding
J. Manuf. Sci. Eng (August,2014)
A Survey With Numerical Assessment of Classical and Refined Theories for the Analysis of Sandwich Plates
Appl. Mech. Rev (January,2009)
Continuum thermomechanics and the clinical treatment of disease and injury
Appl. Mech. Rev (March,2003)
Related Chapters
A Study on the Application of the Vehicle's Intelligent Weighing System
International Conference on Information Technology and Computer Science, 3rd (ITCS 2011)
Research Tools
Bearing Dynamic Coefficients in Rotordynamics: Computation Methods and Practical Applications
Mining Association Rules for Trajectories of Spatiotemporal Data
International Conference on Instrumentation, Measurement, Circuits and Systems (ICIMCS 2011)