Biomechanics/Work Physiology Lab – Tom Armstrong

Faculty in charge: Thomas J. Armstrong, Ph.D.

The C4E Biomechanics Laboratory is concerned with the study of how human behavior and health are influenced by physical factors. Many of the studies in the Biomechanics Laboratory have been concerned with workers. Others have been concerned with military applications, consumers, and even children. The Biomechanics Laboratory provides and facilitates collaborations among investigators from the Departments of Industrial and Operations Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Psychology, the Medical School and the School of Public Health, and Other Universities. Research in the Biomechanics Laboratory is supported by internal and external funding from the medical schools, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, The National Science Foundation, and various industrial sponsors. The Biomechanics Laboratory has close collaborations with approximately 30 other labs on the University of Michigan campus that conduct different types of biomechanics research from the molecular level to the whole body level.

Development of the University of Michigan 3D Static Strength Prediction (3D SSPP) Model: The 3D SSPP is used by many practitioners and researchers to study and design physical activities and equipment. The 3D SSPP draws on over 40 years of research that has examined how movement and strength behaviors and worker health are influenced by equipment, task, and environmental factors. Current research will result in new 3D SSPP features, which will enable it to be applied to a wider range of human activities and to more closely examine hand and foot placement.