Exeter Biomechanics Research Team (ExBiRT)
We use biomechanical tools to improve understanding of human movement to:
- Understand the causes of musculoskeletal injuries and disease and develop interventions that minimise them
- Uncover how humans control movement and how this relates to health, learning and performance
- Identify factors influencing sports performance and skill learning
- Assess functional imbalances in peoples’ movement patterns
- Advance design of biologically inspired exoskeletons and prosthetics
- Understand how evolution has shaped our musculoskeletal system
Current projects
Capabilities
- Three-dimensional motion analysis and force platforms provide a full mechanical assessment of gait, and athletic performance
- Pressure plates and insoles quantify how foot loading is influenced by changes in gait, footwear or surfaces
- Predict stress and strain on bones to understand injury mechanisms
- Simulate how muscles generate motion and how movement can be optimised
- Dynamical systems theory applied to study our interaction with the environment, sports performance, and what happens when movement is affected by ageing or disease
- Fine-wire and surface EMG techniques to measure neural control of muscles
- Ultrasound imaging techniques to look under the skin at muscular contraction
- MR imaging capability (including access to 3T MRI facility)
- Automated segmentation procedures for analysis of MR images
- Expertise in automated tracking of dynamic ultrasound imaging
- Advanced analysis of accelerometer recordings to track athlete training load (intensity and recovery) to optimise training programmes
- We support multi/interdisciplinary approaches involving psychology, engineering, mathematics, and epidemiology to understand and improve movement performance in musculoskeletal health and disease
Group members
- Dr Sharon Dixon
- Dr Matthew Ellison
- Dr Dominic Farris
- Dr Vicky Stiles - @VH_Stiles
- Dr Genevieve Williams
