Biomechanics is the study of mechanics in living beings, specifically analyzing forces and motion in the human body. It is divided into kinetics, which studies forces producing motion, and kinematics, which describes motion. Biomechanics is studied to improve health, performance, and understand complex movements. It has various applications in sports, medical devices, rehabilitation, and more. The field has grown significantly over time from early scientists like Aristotle and Da Vinci applying mechanics to the body. Modern biomechanics utilizes fields like computational modeling, simulation, and motion analysis.

1. Biomechanics
D.M.S.S.Rathnasiri 140518H

2. What is Biomechanics?
Related to living beings
branch of physics involving
analysis of the actions of
forces and motion.

3. Mechanics
Study of mechanics in the human body divided into two key areas.
• Kinetics-Forces producing motion
egg: muscles, gravity
• Kinematics- The description of motion
e.g.: Location, Trajectory of bone motion, Direction

4. Why Biomechanics ?
Why should we study it?
• With regard to community health, there are an increasing
number of initiatives to get people active and moving so it is important that when they move
they move correctly.
• Another reason to study movement relates a desire to improve performance.
• People who are doing sports and dancing make complex movements.
• When it comes to Biomechanics, We can analyze the sequence of movements
someone uses to perform a skill and get good understanding of the movement
trajectories.

5. Why we study Biomechanics?
• Fast growing field
• Various positions
• Multitude of jobs
• To support disabilities

6. History of Biomechanics
• Modern science considered Aristotle might be the first biomechanician.
"De Motu Animalium" - On the Movement of Animals.
• Leonardo da Vinci-The famous artist, but worked mostly as an engineer.
• He analyzed muscle forces as acting along lines connecting origins and insertions and studied joint function.
• Flemish physician Andreas Vesalius published his beautifully illustrated text, On the Structure of the Human Body.
• Galileo Galilee-He was particularly aware of the mechanical aspects of bone structure and
the basic principles of allometry.
• Marcello Malpighi- Introduced the levers of skeletal system of body and its motion. He had intuitive understanding
of static equilibrium of human body.
He determined the position of the human center of gravity.
• Borelli- contributed significantly to astronomy. He pioneered the motion analysis of biomechanics.
This genealogy is ended with 20th century. Now we could move on to 21st century.

7. Branches of Biomechanics
• Sports biomechanics
• Continuum biomechanics
• Biofluid mechanics
• Biotribology
• Comparative biomechanics
• Plant biomechanics
• Computational biomechanics
• Injury Biomechanics

8. Sport Biomechanics
• Laws of mechanics are applied in order to gain a greater understanding of
athletic performance through mathematical modeling, computer simulation
and measurement.
• Applications which are planned to use in Sri Lanka :
• Research in chucking caught system for srilankckea crit.
• Research in Analysing gait in lower limb amputees.

9. Biofluid mechanics
• We can simply defined it as study of both gas and liquid fluid flows
in or around biological organisms.
• In general these people model the mathematical system for fluid flowing of living
being and then analyze it.
• This field consists various research areas.
• Study about blood flow in the human cardiovascular system.
• Research in Microfluidics devices.

10. Biotribology
The main features of Contact mechanics & tribology are related to friction, wear and lubrication.
Basically it is a study of those features which are related to human body,
especially analyzing lubrication process in human joints such as hips and knees.
Biotribology

11. Comparative Biomechanics & Plant Biomechanics
Comparative biomechanics is the application of biomechanics to non-human organisms. Animals locomotion can be
studied in this criteria including their running, jumping, hopping, flying and all other mechanical actions.
The application of biomechanical principles to plants and plant organs is called Plant Biomechanics
And also it includes ecology and adaptations of the organisms themselves

12. Computational Biomechanics
• Nowadays researchers use Computational Biomechanics field to see beyond the reality.
• But ten year ago, a pair of simulated legs walking a single step would take 1000hrs.
• The main advantage of Computational Biomechanics lies in its ability to determine the inter-anatomical
response of an anatomy, without being subject to ethical restrictions
• Bio-CAD : still researches are going on. when this software gets bio-information then it can modeled
that human organs and simulate it.
• Computational Bio-mechanics can fill the gap between micro and macro level in human biomechanics.

13. Computational Biomechanics
CompuTrainer by RaceMate Inc.
SpinScan Inc.
These softwares are based on video analyzing of bike and finally they give biofeedback to the rider.

14. Industrial era
• It was started in 19th century. Industry used cinematography to investigate motion analysis of humans.
• At that period human gait analysis is a great challenge for the researchers.
• Ernst Heinrich Weber and Wilhelm Eduard Weber hypothesized a great deal about human gait.
• During the same period, the engineering mechanics of materials began to flourish in France and
Germany under the demands of the industrial revolution.
• Finally the era end up with finding Wolff's law of bone remodeling which is proposed by Julius Wolff

15. Duties and Responsibilities
• Medical device companies
• Lab/Research
• Sports Medicine
• Volunteering

16. Working Conditions
It depends on your sub-field which is related to biomechanics
• In lab researching
• Working with athletes
• Creating computer simulation programs
• Testing your devices on patients

17. Salary Avg Salary: $77,000
• Senior Managers - $95000
• Open rank faculty- $84000
• Orthotist- $60000
• CAD Cam Technician- $39000
• Orthotist Prosthetist - $77000

18. Future trends in Biomechanics

19. Industrial growth after 20th century
Biomedical Mechatronics Laboratory at MIT
Safe test Laboratory
Sport mechanics Laboratory
Gait analysis in film industry

20. Industrial growth after 20th century
Nowadays researchers use Biomechanics to improve sports apparel and equipment's.
These new developments in sport apparel are aiding athletes improve their winning chances.
Swimming:
TYR aqua shift suit,
spedo fastkin suit
Tennis:
Composite Tennis racket
It reduces in potential vibration which causes “Tennis Elbow”

21. Benefits of Biomechanics
• Optimization of sport performance by developing the most efficient and effective techniques.
• Prevention and reduction of injuries through understanding of injury causes and the development and
application of proper techniques
• The design and development of improved equipment and materials to maximize sport performance
• The transference of skills from practice filed to playing field.
example, batting tees, ball throwing machines.
• The development and modification of sports equipment to widen participation.
e.g.- junior sizes, cheaper more durable equipment.

22. Safety purposes
• In Biomechanics safety defined as correct exercise or form.
• Purpose of safety in this field is to avoid doing harm to the body.
Example: during a safe lunge, the exerciser’s knee is aligned over the ankle,
but if it is in unsafe sometimes leg might be broken.
• Proper exercises need proper trainer and then they show how to use Biomechanics in correct manner.
Important: We should us those Biomechanical instruments correctly.
Wrong use might be caused medical injuries.

23. Conclusion
• Able to identify biomechanical differences between the wide array of prosthetic,
orthotic biomechanical devices
• How to give protection and support to disabilities.
• Current medical issues and solutions.
• Current research areas.

24. THANK YOU!