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Technical Paper

The Reliability of Human Head/Neck Force and Torque Estimation

1995-11-01
952720
The sensitivity of biomechanical models to parameter estimation errors is crucial in determining the reliability of the dynamic estimates provided by these models. For evaluating the risk of head and neck injury from indirect impact (inertial loading), the forces and torques at key anatomical locations are important dynamic quantities. For human volunteers, these variables are estimated using head/neck models incorporating measured kinematic time traces and several indirectly measured mechanical and geometric parameters (e.g., the head center of gravity). In this paper, the sensitivity of estimated forces and torques at the occipital condyles to variations in head/neck geometric and mechanical properties, initial head positioning, and input kinematics is illustrated using a single fixed link model. Using anthropometric X-ray and fitted inertial response data from human volunteers, these forces and torques are estimated for two standard geometric/mechanical datasets.
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