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The Department of Biomechanics, Center for Research in Human Movement Variability and Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics are housed in the 53,000-square-foot Biomechanics Research Building at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.
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The virtual reality lab features real-time gait analysis interactive lab and an instrumented split-belt treadmill with complete visual immersion capabilities.
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The Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, directed by Dr. Jorge Zuniga, includes a primary 675-square-foot space for general activities and a secondary 224-square-foot space designed specifically for printing metal components. This laboratory is funded by NIH and NASA for the development of medical devices, such as prosthetics and orthoses, as well as medical-grade antimicrobial polymers. The laboratory is equipped with a wide range of 3D printers, ranging from industrial to commercial grade, capable of printing many different polymers and metals.
Our Nation’s warfighters face numerous physical challenges, even before engaging an enemy. Long marches with heavy packs across unfamiliar territory can cause considerable wear and tear on a soldier’s body. Injuries sustained during military operations can significantly affect a unit’s capability and ability to complete the mission. Even if soldiers haven’t been injured, physical and mental exhaustion can have a major effect on their performance. Long-term effects of injuries can follow these service men and women for decades.
It is for these reasons and more that researchers from defense agencies, academic institutions, and private companies are relentlessly seeking to understand how injuries happen, how they can be prevented and how to rehabilitate service members quickly.
Pushing modern tools forward is critical. Putting objective data on troops’ conditions into the hands of commanders can help determine in advance what a unit will be capable of.
"Nonlinear analysis of human movement can reveal underlying aspects of human states including fatigue, instability and performance prediction," said Dr. Terry Thiem, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and current director of medical countermeasures at the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska.
"Such analysis may be instrumental to tracking force readiness from the individual soldier to the entire unit, giving invaluable information to commanders to address potential physical issues before they become a problem."
It is this type of actionable foresight that is putting the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Biomechanics Research Building on the map. Leveraging its considerable expertise and recently expanded world-class facilities, UNO researchers and students are pursuing solutions for warfighters to avoid physical risks and injuries, aid command decisions and keep military units in shape for service.
About the UNO Biomechanics Research Building
The 53,000-square-foot Biomechanics Research Building anchors the southeast corner of the UNO campus in Omaha, Nebraska. It serves as home to the Department of Biomechanics, the Center for Research in Human Movement Variability and the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics.
With a stated mission to analyze and understand the complexities of human movement, this facility engages in cutting-edge research that can help treat and prevent injuries and disorders that affect any patient’s ability to mobilize.
Laboratories include:
- Human biomechanics
- Cardiovascular and tissue biomechanics
- Insect biomechanics
- Balance and strength
- Virtual reality
- 3D printing
"Our shared laboratory model provides all researchers access to an array of advanced equipment, which might be otherwise unavailable to individual investigators due to cost and space constraints," said NSRI Fellow Dr. Alexey Kamenskiy, chair of the UNO Department of Biomechanics.
""This collaborative environment fosters interdisciplinary research and enhances the scope and impact of our work."
The experience of the biomechanics team has a lot in common with the collaboration of a military unit, said Dr. Nikolaos Stergiou, assistant dean and director of the division of biomechanics — and a former infantry sergeant for the Greek Army.
"Our division is the purest form of a team," Dr. Stergiou said. "Not just because of the shared lab model, but because all of our resources are shared. In ancient Greece, the shield of one soldier was protecting not just himself but also the person next to him. This is our philosophy as well: the team is above all. I think that’s the reason why we’re so good — that and the extremely intelligent people we have."
Advanced Technology
Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) system
Allows researchers to immerse a subject in a wide number of virtual scenarios, challenge the subject’s body in a variety of ways and collect data on how that subject responds both physiologically and psychologically. This allows for a greater understanding of how the human body responds to different conditions, such as marches over difficult terrain or operation on rough seas.
Top-of-the-line equipment for manufacturing custom devices on-site for quick testing or for a custom fit for a particular subject. Everything researchers need to produce these devices is available, from industry-grade CAD software to laser cutters, industrial and commercial 3D printers and other advanced manufacturing tools.
Tissue Analysis Core
Allows researchers to analyze biomechanical and structural properties of various materials and devices in incredible detail. For example, a large micro-CT imaging device allows non-destructive imaging at a resolution of 5μm and can be used to examine both biological materials, such as bones and arteries, as well as manufactured materials and devices. A pulsatile flow circuit and biaxial mechanical characterization equipment also allow for in-depth testing of a material’s mechanical properties.
Advanced Materials Lab
Utilizes a range of advanced manufacturing tools to produce textiles with tunable characteristics. These include ultra-high efficiency filters, protective clothing, breathable yet water-resistant fabrics, smart materials for heat retention in cold environments, biodegradable and infection-resistant wound dressings and more. These innovative materials are scalable for mass production, allowing for quick distribution when needed.
Experienced Experts
Professor
Expert in cardiovascular biomechanics, soft tissue characterization and endovascular device development. Focused on experimental and computational vascular mechanobiology and mechanophysiology, vascular pathology and aging and devices and materials for open and endovascular repairs. Holds numerous patents for cardiovascular medical devices. Serves as chair of the UNO Department of Biomechanics.
Associate Professor
Mechanical engineering and biomechanics. Combines clinical, experimental, computational and device design concepts to develop clinically translatable rehabilitation. Focus areas include post-stroke rehabilitation and sports biomechanics.
Assistant Professor
Movement scientist with a broad education and training in biomechanics, cognitive science, statistics and motor control. Researches human movement variability, human performance, cognitive science and nonlinear time series analysis. Led project through NSRI to develop a soldier readiness toolkit for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (CCDC SC).
Professor
Research focused on better understanding functional impairments in patients with peripheral artery disease. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans' Affairs and NASA. President of the American Society of Biomechanics. Supporting researcher on soldier readiness toolkit for CCDC SC. Serves as UNO Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity.
Contributions to Our Defenders
Researchers use the premiere facility to create a wide variety of concrete benefits for warfighters. Following are three examples of the many former and active efforts for national security.
An NSRI project led by NSRI Fellow Dr. Aaron Likens, UNO biomechanics assistant professor, created a readiness toolkit for the CCDC Soldier Center to analyze a soldier’s physical condition and provide concrete data to decision-makers about troop conditions.
“This technology will give unit leaders and the soldiers themselves more information about how the unit is performing in real-time, allowing them to make informed decisions that may impact mission success,” Dr. Likens said.
Pictured: Dr. Likens (left) with graduate assistants Taylor Wilson (middle) and Kolby Brink (right). Wilson stands on an instrumented treadmill while wearing inertial measurement units. The equipment helps measure movements during locomotion.
Currently under development is a prototype exoskeleton boot that will allow soldiers with ankle injuries more freedom of movement while recovering — this equipment adheres to U.S. Army regulations that prohibit visible assistance devices during active duty. Several labs at UNO allowed students leading this project to assess existing support devices objectively and figure out what could be improved specifically for use by soldiers.
Pictured: Diagram of the exoskeleton.
An $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health has established the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics (CRiB), a groundbreaking initiative to develop innovative materials and devices to address the pressing challenges posed by vascular diseases, which remain a leading cause of death and disability globally. CRiB also supports the development of novel infection-resistant wound dressings and vascular grafts, as well as endovascular solutions for warfighters, such as devices for hemorrhage control, robotic catheters, compliant stent-grafts for trauma and many more.
Pictured: NSRI Fellow Yury Salkovskiy, Ph.D., works in the Materials Lab taking off cloth created by laying material over a cylindrical tube using an electrical field.
Human Movement of the Future
While providing research deliverables, the department also trains collegiate students at all levels to help them gain the expertise they will need to provide solutions in the future. Students are actively involved in most of the research projects taking place in the Biomechanics Research Building. For example, Kolby Brink, now a doctoral student, spoke with NSRI about his experience working on the soldier readiness toolkit in 2020.
"This study has allowed me to ‘jump in with both feet,’ as I am learning several things I had little experience with before."
"The new methods of analyses implemented during this study will provide me with a vast opportunity for exploration and discovery as I learn the various new programs," Brink said.
Developing and supporting the next generation of talented and specialized researchers is one way to ensure UNO will continue to grow and adapt to meet new challenges in the field of biomechanics, including finding solutions for DOD challenges.
"The department is uniquely positioned to meet the complex ongoing needs of the DOD,” explained Dr. Kamenskiy. “Our faculty bring diverse specializations and are adept at team-based problem-solving and dedicated to addressing real-world challenges.
"We are able to tailor our expertise to meet specific needs, whether they involve material science, biomechanical engineering or rehabilitative technologies, and our faculty have proven capabilities in translating research into industrial-scale production."
Dr. Thiem elaborated on the benefit the facility can provide to the U.S. Armed Forces.
“The research completed at UNO will provide improved force readiness through reduction of injury and expedited recovery and return to duty when an injury occurs, in addition to supporting our veterans after they’ve completed their military careers," Dr. Thiem said. "For example, developments such as a self-paced treadmill can be used both by warfighters recovering from service-related mishaps and also by veterans recovering from a stroke."
Understanding and supporting the physical bodies of our warfighters is essential for maintaining combat readiness. The UNO Biomechanics Research Building provides the facilities, equipment and capacity researchers need to create solutions — to evaluate warfighter conditions, predict and prevent injuries and support those who have been injured, whether in the field or back home.
Tracking warfighter conditions through wearable sensors, designing state-of-the-art braces for injured soldiers and developing new materials to better treat injuries in the field are just the beginning of the advancements this uniquely equipped facility will provide in coming months and years to help ensure the U.S. military stays the best in the world.
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As the DOD-designated University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) of U.S. Strategic Command and the University of Nebraska System, the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) delivers solutions for strategic deterrence and CWMD mission requirements gaps. Our rapid-response capabilities and efficient contracting vehicle can help federal government program managers meet critical research and development needs. Connect with us to learn more.
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