Browse Topic: Children

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Prototype Smartphone App Can Help Parents Detect Early Signs of Eye Disorders in ChildrenTBMG-3562212/1/2019
A Baylor University researcher’s prototype smartphone app — designed to help parents detect early signs of various eye diseases in their children such as retinoblastoma, an aggressive pediatric eye cancer — has passed its first big test.
Portable Electrochemical Sensing SystemTBMG-351419/1/2019
An electrochemical sensing system that significantly improves the ability to rapidly and accurately detect heavy metals in biological and environmental samples was developed. Using a simple blood sample from a finger prick, the system identifies and eliminates exposure to toxic metals such as lead. These dangerous elements continue to pose a significant health concern, especially to children.
Wearable Monitor Continuously Measures Breath Rate and VolumeTBMG-349108/1/2019
Researchers developed a wearable, disposable respiration monitor that provides high-fidelity readings on a continuous basis. It's designed to help children with asthma and cystic fibrosis, and others with chronic pulmonary conditions.
Monitor Babies in the NICU Without WiresTBMG-345816/1/2019
An interdisciplinary Northwestern University team has developed a pair of soft, flexible wireless sensors that replace the tangle of wire-based sensors that currently monitor babies in hospitals’ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and pose a barrier to parent-baby cuddling and physical bonding. The lead researcher was John A. Rogers, a bioelectronics pioneer, who led the technology development. The team recently completed a series of first human studies on premature babies at Prentice Women’s Hospital and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The researchers concluded that the wireless sensors provided data as precise and accurate as that from traditional monitoring systems. The wireless patches also are gentler on a newborn’s fragile skin and allow for more skin-to-skin contact with the parent. Existing sensors must be attached with adhesives that can scar and blister premature newborns’ skin. The study, involved materials scientists, engineers, dermatologists, and pediatricians. It includes initial data from more than 20 babies who wore the wireless sensors alongside traditional monitoring systems, so the researchers could do a side-by-side, quantitative comparison. Since then, the team has conducted successful tests with more than 70 babies in the NICU.
UCI Biomedical Engineers Develop Wearable Respiration Monitor with Children’s ToyTBMG-345836/1/2019
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a wearable, disposable respiration monitor that provides high-fidelity readings on a continuous basis. It’s designed to help children with asthma and cystic fibrosis and others with chronic pulmonary conditions.
Patch Improves Care for NICU BabiesTBMG-344355/1/2019
When a baby is placed into a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), its vitals are continuously recorded through electrodes placed on the skin with wires attached to monitoring platforms. Researchers are working to replace the wires with a patch that would allow parents to hold their little one while it's being monitored.
Speeds of Child Cyclists2019-01-04194/2/2019
Many published studies have characterized walking and running speeds of young children. However, there is a paucity of data on the cycling speeds of very young children (4 to 5 years old). The purpose of this study was to obtain an estimate of cycling speed for boys and girls both who are learning to ride bicycles (i.e., younger children who still ride with training wheels) and who have already learned to ride bicycles (i.e., slightly older children who no longer use training wheels). A sample of 32 child riders (17 boys, 15 girls; 17 four-year-olds who still ride with training wheels, 15 five-year-olds who do not) were asked to ride a short pre-defined distance at their usual speed when riding, and again at their highest speed. We found that while age and experience can differentiate riders, there were only small differences between boys’ and girls’ speeds in either age group. These descriptive results can be used in various applications from traffic engineering to accident reconstruction.
Crump, Caroline, Bui, Young
Q&A: Siyi Xu, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MATBMG-339303/1/2019
Working with teams from Harvard, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children's Hospital, Siyi Xu developed a soft, non-toxic, wearable sensor that attaches to the hand and measures grasp force and the motion of the hand and fingers. The sensor is designed to identify neuromotor disabilities in prematurely born children.
Soft Robotic “Sleeve” Fits Around the Heart to Help it BeatTBMG-336161/1/2019
Researchers have developed a customizable soft robot that fits around a heart and helps it beat, potentially opening new treatment options for people suffering from heart failure.
Dynamic Spine Brace Characterizes Spine DeformitiesTBMG-336291/1/2019
Spine deformities, such as idiopathic scoliosis and kyphosis (also known as “hunchback”), are characterized by an abnormal curvature in the spine. The children with these spinal deformities are typically advised to wear a brace that fits around the torso and hips to correct the abnormal curve. Bracing has been shown to prevent progression of the abnormal curve and avoid surgery; however, the underlying technology for bracing has not fundamentally changed in 50 years.
Handheld Probe Images Photoreceptors in ChildrenTBMG-3324711/1/2018
Duke University researchers have developed a handheld probe that can image individual photoreceptors in the eyes of infants. The technology, based on adaptive optics, will make it easier for physicians and scientists to observe these cells to diagnosis eye diseases and make early detection of brain-related diseases and trauma.
OFFSET: A Global Carbon Cycle GameTBMG-297057/1/2018
The OFFSET video game was designed to teach children the basics of the carbon cycle in a fun and engaging way. The game play is a mix of Pong, Breakout, and RTS. The game has a retro-art style, and uses Game Center, so that players can compare scores with each other.
Portable Electrochemical Sensing SystemTBMG-285333/1/2018
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an inexpensive electrochemical sensing system that significantly improves the ability to rapidly and accurately detect heavy metals in biological and environmental samples.
Using Artificial intelligence to Evaluate Brain Maturity of Preterm InfantsTBMG-2796512/1/2017
University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
Kid: A Telemedicine Solution for Retinopathy of PrematurityTBMG-2784411/1/2017
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease that affects premature infants. It is the leading cause of childhood blindness. Although effective treatments exist, many infants are still at-risk due to the small window of time for detection. The current standard of care consists of in-person, manual screening by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, the number of infants in need of screening far surpasses the availability of specifically trained ophthalmologists. Consequently, fewer than 30 percent of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide have fully compliant ROP screening programs.
Soft Tissue Robotic Surgery Outperforms Standard SurgeryTBMG-249927/1/2016
Dissolution of the Gap between Safety Requirements Written in a Natural Language and Formal Notations2016-01-01334/5/2016
Safety concepts are essential to conform to functional safety standard ISO 26262 for automotive products. Safety requirements, which are a part of safety concepts, shall be satisfied by products to avoid hazards by vehicles to maintain their safety. Incompleteness of safety requirements must be avoided in deriving parent requirements to its children. However, measure for checking is only reviewing when the safety requirements are described in a natural language. This measure for checking is not objective or stringent. We developed a specification technique written in formal notation that addresses some of the shortcomings of capturing safety requirements for verification purposes. Safety requirements in this notation are expressed in goal tree models, which originate from goal-oriented requirement engineering Knowledge Acquisition in autOmated Specification (KAOS). Each requirement is written with propositional logic as the node of a tree. Completeness is automatically verified with a Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solver for each set of a parent goal and its children. We found that the point of view to derive requirements was different between a natural language and the above formal specification. This leads to the difference in the hierarchical structure of requirements, and makes it difficult to convert them from one to the other. A method of supporting this conversion is proposed here as a solution by associating typical structures of requirements in a natural language and the formal specification. This solution is expected to strengthen the reliability of safety requirements by promoting the application of the formal specification technique.
Matsubara, Masahiro, Narisawa, Fumio, Ohno, Atsuhiro, Aoki, Toshiaki, Chiba, Yuki
How 3D Printing Can Aid in Brain SurgeryTBMG-2307410/1/2015
Physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital report that four children with life-threatening cerebrovascular malformations posing surgical challenges have benefited from surgeons having 3D-printed models of their unique brain structures before undergoing high-risk brain procedures.
Improved Detection of Kidney Stones Using S-mode UltrasoundTBMG-225618/1/2015
Ultrasound has been a useful tool in the detection of kidney stones. It is a low-cost solution that does not require ionizing radiation that would be harmful to vulnerable populations such as children and recurrent stone formers. However, it suffers from a broad range of sensitivity (78 to 96%) and specificity (31 to 100%) in the detection of stones.
Auditory Implant Bypasses Inner EarTBMG-216072/18/2015
A team of hearing and communication experts led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC successfully implanted an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) device in four children who previously could not hear.
Engineering Systems for Special Needs ChildrenTBMG-202608/1/2014
A group of engineers and students at Kansas State University, Manhattan, is developing technology to improve the health and quality of life for children with severe developmental disabilities. The team is collaborating with Heartspring Inc., a Wichita-based non-profit therapeutic residential and day school program, which serves students with multiple diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, other developmental disabilities.
Calculating Helium for Pediatric RadiotherapyTBMG-196655/1/2014
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna/AKH Vienna, Austria, say that they have been able to demonstrate that the use of helium ions in radiation therapy could provide accurate treatment to tumors while helping to spare healthy organs. A treatment planning study presented at European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) Congress 33 in April showed that helium may provide effects superior to radiotherapy using protons, which are already a considerable advance on conventional photon beam radiotherapy.
Fiber-Optic Pen Allows View into Children’s BrainsTBMG-167458/1/2013
Scientists at the University of Washington, Seattle, say that for less than $100, they have designed a computer-interfaced drawing pad that can help scientists see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities as they read and write. To create the system, the researchers hollowed out a ballpoint pen and inserted two optical fibers connected to a light-tight box in an adjacent control room where the pen’s movement is recorded. They also created a simple wooden square pad to hold a piece of paper printed with continuously varying color gradients. The custom pen and pad allow researchers to record handwriting during functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to assess behavior and brain function at the same time.
Dynamic Server-Based KML Code Generator Method for Levelof-Detail Traversal of Geospatial DataTBMG-167977/1/2013
Geospatial data servers that support Web-based geospatial client applications such as Google Earth and NASA World Wind must listen to data requests, access appropriate stored data, and compile a data response to the requesting client application. This process occurs repeatedly to support multiple client requests and application instances. Newer Webbased geospatial clients also provide userinteractive functionality that is dependent on fast and efficient server responses. With massively large datasets, serverclient interaction can become severely impeded because the server must determine the best way to assemble data to meet the client applications request. In client applications such as Google Earth, the user interactively wanders through the data using visually guided panning and zooming actions. With these actions, the client application is continually issuing data requests to the server without knowledge of the server’s data structure or extraction/assembly paradigm.
New Technology Could Make Fluorescent Lights A Thing Of The PastTBMG-156371/1/2013
That annoying buzz created by overhead fluorescent light bulbs in your office or residence hall may soon be a thing of the past thanks to the work of Wake Forest scientists who have developed a flicker-free, shatterproof alternative for large-scale lighting. The lighting, based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology, also gives off soft, white light instead of the yellowish glint from fluorescent lights or bluish tinge from LEDs.
Soft Tissue Expansion Solutions for Reconstructive SurgeryTBMG-139316/1/2012
The concept of tissue expansion for surgical reconstruction was first reported over 50 years ago, although the technique did not gain popular acceptance until the 1980s, when it was used predominantly in delayed breast reconstruction.
Injury Risk Investigation of the Small, Rear-seat Occupant in Side Impact2012-01-00924/16/2012
For children seated next to the struck side, real-world crash outcome was determined for the rear-seat of passenger vehicles over the entire range of side impact crash severities. The method was first to calculate the actual risk for an occupant based on field data. The data sources were non-rollover, tow-away crashes from the 1997 - 2009 National Automotive Sampling System. By limiting the struck passenger vehicle to model year 1985 or newer, field data were identified for a total of 588 children. In all crashes, the child was seated in the rear-seat area on the struck side of the passenger vehicle. A matrix of MADYMO model simulations calculated the response of child dummies over the entire range of the field data. Age-dependent, moderate-to-serious (AIS ≥ 2) injury risk curves were derived and evaluated for children in side impact. Risks to the children were calculated by combining the derived child risk curves with the MADYMO model simulations. The evaluations were conducted from the point of view of an aggregate approximation of AIS ≥ 2 injury rates across the crash severity range for the entire child group of all ages. The results were that the simulations and biomechanical injury risks reasonably matched the actual NASS-CDS-based trauma risks. For all children, the accumulated injury risk approximation was 10.66% and the field-based approximation was 10.73%. This field-based methodology focuses occupant safety design toward a more far-reaching system approach where the entire range of side-impact crash severities and occupant variability are considered.
Morgan, Richard M., Scullion, Paul, Nix, Lilly, Kan, Cing-Dao, Nagabhushana, Vinay, Shanks, Kurt, Tangirala, Ravi
Neck Loads in Playground Activities in a Pediatric Population2012-01-05604/16/2012
Neck injury assessment reference values (IARVs) and tolerance values for children have been specified using animal data compared to the loading of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs). However, there is a paucity of data regarding the neck loads generated during non-injurious situations for children. Six males and six females aged 8-11 years old were equipped with a validated head sensor package and upper neck loads and moments were calculated from measured head kinematics while performing a series of playground-type activities. The maximum forces were 686 N in compression, 177 N in tension, and 471 N in shear, the maximum moments were 18.2 N-m in flexion, 6.0 N-m in extension, 6.4 N-m in lateral bending, and 12.1 N-m in axial twist. Female subjects exhibited similar loads and moments to their male counterparts, but larger Nij values. The peak loads measured in this study are larger than or comparable to those undertaken with adult subjects participating in similar activities. These data provide details of the non-injurious upper neck loads that occur in pediatric subjects.
Bussone, William R., Prange, Michael, Bove, Robert Thomas, Daniel, Thomas
Child Dummies Restrained by an ISOFIX CRS and a Universal CRS in Different Crash Pulses and the Effect of a Crash Pulse on Dummy Accelerations2012-01-00854/16/2012
A 5-point harness type of child seat approved by ECE R44 was studied in this paper. This child seat can be installed either by the ISOFIX anchorages (the ISOFIX CRS) or by a vehicle 3-point seatbelt (the universal CRS). Hybrid III 3-year-old (3YO) dummy restrained by the ISOFIX CRS was used in a vehicle buck sled test. TNO P-series 3-year-old (P3) dummy restrained by the universal CRS was used in a frontal 50kph full rigid barrier (FRB) test. Multi-body models of the two CRSs were developed by using Madymo software and correlated with the two tests. The goals of this study are to compare the performance of the ISOFIX CRS and the universal CRS, to understand the discrepancy of the kinematics of the Hybrid III 3YO and P3 in the multi-body model simulations, and to find the influence factor of a pulse on the dummy responses. Five different crash pulses were used in the Madymo simulations for both the ISOFIX CRS and the universal CRS. The head forward excursion, and the head, chest, and pelvis accelerations of the Hybrid III 3YO restrained by the ISOFIX CRS were lower than those restrained by the universal CRS when being applied by the same crash pulse. The head forward excursion of P3 was about 10 mm greater than that of the Hybrid III 3YO in the simulations of the five crash pulses. Trapzoidal wave approximation (TWA) is a useful method to approximate the crash pulse. TWA pulse has the same dynamic crush and the time when obtaining the maximum dynamic crush with the crash pulse. TWA pulses were calculated based on the five crash pulses. The dummy responses were similar in the simulations of the crash pulse and the calculated TWA pulse. It was found that the dummy accelerations decreased when the rising slope of the TWA pulse decreased.
Hu, Jia, Ma, Jianyong, Fang, Jia
Rapid Detection of the Varicella Zoster Virus in SalivaTBMG-108799/1/2011
(VZV) causes chicken pox on first exposure (usually in children), and reactivates from latency causing shingles (usually in adults). Shingles can be extremely painful, causing nerve damage, organ damage, and blindness in some cases. The virus can be life-threatening in immune-compromised individuals. The virus is very difficult to culture for diagnosis, requiring a week or longer.
NASA Light Technology Helps Reduce Painful Side Effects from Radiation and ChemotherapyTBMG-110439/1/2011
Results of a two-year clinical trial indicate that a NASA technology originally developed for plant growth experiments on space shuttle missions has successfully reduced the painful side effects resulting from chemotherapy and radiation treatment in bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients.
Technique for Solving Electrically Small to Large Structures for Broadband ApplicationsTBMG-107558/1/2011
Fast iterative algorithms are often used for solving Method of Moments (MoM) systems, having a large number of unknowns, to determine current distribution and other parameters. The most commonly used fast methods include the fast multipole method (FMM), the precorrected fast Fourier transform (PFFT), and low-rank QR compression methods. These methods reduce the O(N) memory and time requirements to O(N log N) by compressing the dense MoM system so as to exploit the physics of Green’s Function interactions.FFT-based techniques for solving such problems are efficient for space-filling and uniform structures, but their performance substantially degrades for non-uniformly distributed structures due to the inherent need to employ a uniform global grid. FMM or QR techniques are better suited than FFT techniques; however, neither the FMM nor the QR technique can be used at all frequencies.
Rationale for and Dimensions of Impact Surfaces for Biofidelity Tests of Different Sizes of Frontal and Side Impact Dummies2010-22-000211/3/2010
The biofidelity impact response corridors that were used to develop the Hybrid III family of dummies were established by scaling the various biofidelity corridors that were defined for the Hybrid III mid-size, adult male dummy. Scaling ratios for the responses of force, moment, acceleration, velocity, deflection, angle, stiffness and time were developed using dimensions and masses that were prescribed for the dummies. In addition, an elastic modulus ratio for bone was used to account for the differences between child and adult bone elastic properties. A similar method is being used by ISO/TC22/SC12/WG 5 to develop biofidelity guidelines for a family of side impact dummies based on scaling the biofidelity impact response corridors that are prescribed for WorldSID, a mid-size, adult male dummy. While the various biomechanical impact response requirements for the Hybrid III family of dummies and the WorldSID are documented in the literature, the scaling used to prescribe the dimensions of the impact surfaces that are used for the various biofidelity tests for various sizes of dummies are not documented. This paper describes the rationale for how these impact surfaces should be scaled, gives the scaling equations, and gives the dimensions of the impact surfaces that should be used for the various biofidelity tests of the different sizes of adult and child dummies. For future PMHS and human volunteer tests that are conducted to define impact biofidelity guidelines, it is recommended that the impact surfaces be scaled for the test subject size so that the data can be appropriately normalized to any size subject.
Irwin, Annette L., Mertz, Harold J.
Age Effects on Injury Patterns in Pedestrian Crashes2010-01-11644/12/2010
Approximately 600,000 fatalities occur each year as a result of pedestrians being impacted by motor vehicles (World Bank, 2008). Previous studies (Heller et al., 2009) have utilized databases such as the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to gain a more thorough understanding of the common injury patterns that occur in real-world traffic collisions involving pedestrians in the United States. The NIS contains records on five to eight million hospital stays annually and provides a wealth of information regarding injuries to hospitalized pedestrian casualties in the U.S. Because of the large number of applicable records in the NIS and the randomized sampling procedure, the data can be used to complete analyses that are not possible with smaller databases such as the Pedestrian Crash Data Study (PCDS), which is not intended to be statistically representative of pedestrian crashes in general. The current study utilizes the NIS to evaluate the effect of age on real-world injury outcomes for hospitalized pedestrian casualties. NIS data collected between 1998 and 2007 were divided into eight age categories that correspond to children (0-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years) and adults (15-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60-79, and 80 years and older). Outcomes regarding injury frequency and injury patterns, as well as length and cost of hospital stay, were evaluated and compared among the eight age categories to determine how age affects the type, frequency, and pattern of injuries sustained in pedestrian crashes.
Prange, Michael, Heller, Michelle, Watson, Heather, Iyer, Madhu, Ivarsson, B. Johan, Fisher, Jacob
Quickly Approximating the Distance Between Two ObjectsTBMG-637812/1/2009
A method of quickly approximating the distance between two objects (one smaller, regarded as a point; the other larger and complexly shaped) has been devised for use in computationally simulating motions of the objects for the purpose of planning the motions to prevent collisions. The method is needed because computer-based-graphics techniques that have been used heretofore to make such estimates entail amounts of computation that are excessively large for purposes of the simulations. The method, denoted tree-based model learning, is an integral combination of (1) decision-tree techniques upon which several machine learning techniques have been based and (2) a relatively accurate function-approximation technique. Each node of a decision tree corresponds to a partition of the problem domain — in this case, starting with one node representing a large cubic volume centered on the large object and dividing and subdividing it, at symmetry planes, into successively smaller cubes. Each branch of the tree represents a rule-based decision selecting one of the child nodes of a parent node. The smallest subdivisions (leaf nodes) contain coefficients of a quadric equation that estimates the distance between the objects.
Photorefraction System Screens for Vision DisordersTBMG-65079/1/2009
Space optics technology in the 1980s has been adapted to help children see more clearly. Collaborating with research ophthalmologists and optometrists, scientists Joe Kerr and the late John Richardson of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, adapted optics technology for eye screening methods using a process called photorefraction. Photo - refraction consists of delivering a light beam into the eyes, where it bends in the ocular media, hits the retina, and then reflects as an image back to a camera. A series of refinements and formal clinical studies followed their highly successful initial tests in the 1980s.
Measurements of Non-Injurious Head Accelerations of a Pediatric Population2009-01-03834/20/2009
While adult head injuries have been studied over the past six decades, few studies have investigated pediatric head injury mechanics. This paper presents non-injurious head accelerations during various activities in a pediatric population. Six males and six females aged 8–11 years old were equipped with a validated head sensor package and head kinematics were measured while performing a series of playground-type activities. Maximum resultant values across all participants and activities were 25.7 g (range 3.0 g to 25.7 g), 16.0 rad/s (range 10.4 rad/s to 16.0 rad/s), and 1705 rad/s2 (range 520 rad/s2 to 1705 rad/s2) for linear acceleration, angular velocity, and angular acceleration, respectively. Mean maximum resultant values across all participants and activities were 9.7 g (range 2.1 g to 9.7 g) and 734 rad/s2 (range 188 rad/s2 to 734 rad/s2) for linear and angular acceleration, respectively. The peak accelerations measured in this study are approximately twice that of previous everyday acceleration studies undertaken with adult subjects. The present study increases the upper limit of known non-injurious activities and closes the gap between the lower limit of injurious loading and the upper limit of non-injurious loading.
Bussone, William R., Moore, Tara L. A., Richards, Darrin, Bove, Robert T., Scher, Irving, Prange, Michael T.
Tensile Mechanical Properties of the Perinatal and Pediatric PMHS Osteoligamentous Cervical Spine2008-22-000511/3/2008
Pediatric cervical spine biomechanics have been under-researched due to the limited availability of pediatric post-mortem human subjects (PMHS). Scaled data based on human adult and juvenile animal studies have been utilized to augment the limited pediatric PMHS data that exists. Despite these efforts, a significant void in pediatric cervical spine biomechanics remains. Eighteen PMHS osteoligamentous head-neck complexes ranging in age from 20 weeks gestational to 14 years were tested in tension. The tests were initially conducted on the whole cervical spine and then the spines were sectioned into three segments that included two lower cervical spine segments (C4-C5 and C6-C7) and one upper cervical spine segment (O-C2). After non-destructive tests were conducted, each segment was failed in tension. The tensile stiffness of the whole spines ranged from 5.3 to 70.1 N/mm. The perinatal and neonatal specimens had an ultimate strength for the upper cervical spine of 230.9 ± 38.0 N and for the lower cervical spine of 212.8 ± 60.9 and 187.1 ± 39.4 N for the C4-C5 and C6-C7 segments, respectively. The lower cervical segments were significantly weaker and stiffer than the upper cervical spine segments in the older cohort. For the entire cohort of specimens, the stiffness of the upper cervical spine ranged from 7.1 to 199.0 N/mm. The tolerance ranged from 173.6 to 2960 N for the upper cervical spine and from 142 to 1757 N for the lower. There was a statistically significant increase in stiffness and strength with age. The results also suggest that juvenile animal surrogates estimate the stiffness of the human cervical spine fairly well; however, they may not provide accurate estimates of pediatric cervical spine strength.
Luck, Jason F., Nightingale, Roger W., Loyd, Andre M., Prange, Michael T., Dibb, Alan T., Song, Yin, Fronheiser, Lucy, Myers, Barry S.
A Computational Study of Rear-Facing and Forward-Facing Child Restraints2008-01-12334/14/2008
A recent study of U.S. crash data has shown that children 0-23 months of age in forward-facing child restraint systems (FFCRS) are 76% more likely to be seriously injured in comparison to children in rear-facing child restraint systems (RFCRS). Motivated by the epidemiological data, seven sled tests of dummies in child seats were performed at the University of Virginia using a crash pulse similar to FMVSS 213 test conditions. The tests showed an advantage for RFCRS; however, real-world crashes include a great deal of variability among factors that may affect the relative performance of FFCRS and RFCRS. Therefore, this research developed MADYMO computational models of these tests and varied several real-world parameters. These models used ellipsoid models of Q-series child dummies and facet surface models of American- and Swedish- style convertible child restraints (CRS). The dummy-seat models in FFCRS and RFCRS orientations have been validated against sled test data, and then used to simulate several real-world conditions. These simulations show that the advantage of RFCRS was maintained under conditions of oblique collisions, pre-impact braking, and loose internal belts, but not for an out-of-position case with a gap between the child's back and child restraint. In general, this research indicates that children can benefit from being seated in rear facing restraints past the age of one, and that larger child restraints should be made available in the US to accommodate these larger children. The result also indicates that further improvements in RFCRS should address the out-of-position situation to realize further reductions in injury.
Kendall, Robert G., Sherwood, Christopher P., Crandall, Jeff R.
Introducing Duane Tiede, SAE President for 2004AEROMAR04_043/1/2004
With over 35 years of diverse experience in the off-highway industry, Duane Tiede steps up to a new challenge-leading SAE into its 100th year. Growing up on a farm in rural Minnesota, Duane Tiede helped his father operate and repair agricultural equipment from the time he was a child. Those hands-on skills and real-world experience led him to the University of Minnesota, where he earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural Engineering-a field he describes as the perfect combination of his interests in engineering and farm equipment.
Newton, Jennifer
Introducing Duane Tiede, SAE President for 2004AUTOMAR04_063/1/2004
With over 35 years of diverse experience in the off-highway industry, Duane Tiede steps up to a new challenge-leading SAE into its 100th year. Growing up on a farm in rural Minnesota, Duane Tiede helped his father operate and repair agricultural equipment from the time he was a child. Those hand-son skills and real-world experience led him to the University of Minnesota, where he earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural Engineering-a field he describes as the perfect combination of his interests in engineering and farm equipment.
Newton, Jennifer
Human Tolerance to Impact Conditions as Related to Motor Vehicle DesignJ885_200312 (Historical)12/1/2003
This report reviews current quantitative data on human tolerance levels without recommending specific limits. Data developed on humans (including cadavers) are presented where available; however, in many cases animal data are provided where no suitable human results have been reported. This report confines itself, as much as possible, to information of direct use to the automotive designer and tester. Data of only academic interest are largely omitted; therefore, J885 should not be considered as a complete summary of all available biomechanical data. Most of the data cited in this report applies to adult males since little information is available on women or children. The summary data provided in the tables should be considered with the accompanying descriptive test. This material explains the manner in which the data were obtained and provides an insight as to their limitations The purpose of this reort is to assist the automotive safety designer and tester by providing them with quantitative data on the strength of the human body under impact loading conditions.
Human Biomechanics and Simulations Standards Committee
e-Stars Template BuilderTBMG-768911/1/2003
e-Stars Template Builder is a computer program that implements a concept of enabling users to rapidly gain access to information on projects of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The information about a given project is not stored in a data base, but rather, in a network that follows the project as it develops. e-Stars Template Builder resides on a server computer, using Practical Extraction and Reporting Language (PERL) scripts to create what are called “e-STARS node templates,” which are software constructs that allow for project-specific configurations. The software resides on the server and does not require specific software on the user machine except for an Internet browser. A user’s computer need not be equipped with special software (other than an Internet- browser program). e-Stars Template Builder is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX operating systems. A user invokes e-Stars Template Builder from a browser window. Operations that can be performed by the user include the creation of child processes and the addition of links and descriptions of documentation to existing pages or nodes. By means of this addition of “child processes” of nodes, a network that reflects the development of a project is generated.
Program for User-Friendly Management of Input and Output Data SetsTBMG-768011/1/2003
A computer program manages large, hierarchical sets of input and output (I/O) parameters (typically, sequences of alpha- numeric data) involved in computational simulations in a variety of technological disciplines. This program represents sets of parameters as structures coded in object-oriented but otherwise standard American National Standards Institute C language. Each structure contains a group of I/O parameters that “make sense” as a unit in the simulation program with which this program is used. The addition of options and/or elements to sets of parameters amounts to the addition of new elements to data structures. By association of child data generated in response to a particular user input, a hierarchical ordering of input parameters can be achieved. Associated with child data structures are the creation and description mechanisms within the parent data structures. Child data structures can spawn further child data structures. In this program, the creation and representation of a sequence of data structures is effected by one line of code that looks for children of a sequence of structures until there are no more children to be found. A linked list of structures is created dynamically and is completely represented in the data structures themselves. Such hierarchical data presentation can guide users through otherwise complex setup procedures and it can be integrated within a variety of graphical representations.
Safety firstAUTOJUN03_026/1/2003
Consumers say safety is priority one, but deaths on the highway are rising as government regulators impose tougher-and more costly-safety standards on automakers. For the eager buyer with sights set on a particular new vehicle, having to delay the purchase because of personal financial constraints or other reasons is a disappointment, but not a matter of life or death. Or maybe it is.
Ponticel, Patrick
Predicting injury in forklift upsetsOFHAPR01_044/1/2001
Researchers from the Biomechanics Institute present test results that demonstrate operators can prevent ejection and injury from a forklift if they are lap-belted and have either a winged seat or hit restraint. A sharp rise of industrial forklift-related accidents occurred in the 1960s. California, for example, saw a 400% increase in forklift injuries in 1970, while total lost time injuries over the same time period increased only 150%. Accidents involving forklifts tended to be more severe as exemplified by data collected in North Carolina in 1976: 18.8% of the injuries involving material-handling equipment resulted in over 25% of the fatalities. Forklift: upset began to manifest as a particularly hazardous type of accident. Of 132 fatalities recorded in California in 1980 that occurred with the forklift in motion, 50% were due to overturning and running off the road. A study in Wisconsin concluded that forklift overturn accidents were severely “out of proportion to their numbers.” Reviews of accident details of these fatal accidents most often report that the vehicle overturned and the worker jumped or was thrown out; the operator was pinned to the ground by the vehicle canopy and died as a result of his injuries.
Genetic Algorithms Applied on Route Optimization1999-01-299312/1/1999
This paper describes the applicability of genetic algorithms on route optimization with the objective of evaluating its potentialities comparing to other most used techniques. A classical mathematical problem known as Travelling Salesman Problem was used to create the scenery of a given problem that had to be optimized. At the end, the simulation results of a program that operates with genetic algorithms will be compared with the most useful heuristics algorithms.
de Oliveira Chaves, Rodrigo
The Influence of Occupant and Vehicle Characteristics on Risk of Pediatric Air Bag Injury99SC2710/10/1999
A case-comparison study was conducted of children between one and twelve years of age exposed to passenger air bag (PAB) deployment. Cases were children fatally injured by PAB exposure and were investigated by the Special Crash Investigation Program of NHTSA. For comparison, children exposed to PABs, but suffering minor injury were identified through the Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) Study, a system utilizing insurance claims data for crashes involving children. The crash severity as measured by Delta V was not significantly different between the two groups. Restraint status in conjunction with pre-impact braking highly influenced injury outcome indicating the importance of pre-crash positioning as a risk factor in child exposure to PAB deployment. Other related variables such as child size and age reinforced the importance of restraint. No vehicle characteristics or interior vehicle space measurements were significantly different between the two groups. Current vehicle designs cannot be differentiated with respect to their potential for producing serious child injuries due to PAB deployment. Researchers must continue to examine the entire spectrum of occupant injury severity in order to fully understand injury risk and ensure that future design of vehicles considers the safety of all occupants, including children.
Arbogast, K. B., Durbin, D. R., Resh, B. F., Winston, F. K.
Application of Computer Model as An Engineering Tool for Evaluating Side Impact Design Requirements for Children and Small Adults9861825/31/1998
This paper describes a computer modeling system and its application in evaluating several vehicle designs for side impact protection of children and small adults.
Pauls, Lonney S., Khadilkar, Anil V.
Recommendations for ChildrenS SnowmobileJ1038_199212 (Historical)12/1/1992
This recommended practice establishes the test procedures, performance requirements, and criteria necessary to evaluate minimum safety and reliability requirements of a children's snowmobile as identified in 1.3. The purpose of this document is to set forth minimum safety and reliability criteria for use in the design of a children's snowmobile as defined by SAE J33. Requirements not directly related to operator safety are not included, unless they are to delineate the intended purpose of the vehicles as distinct from a small sized regular snowmobile.
Snowmobile Technical Committee
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