On Supporting the Learning of Biomechanics Using Multidisciplinary Physical Prototyping

Abstract

Over the last decades, the use of multibody dynamics in biomechanics research has grown considerably and holds significant promises for the health and biomedical industries. Nowadays, it allows estimating internal data of the body that would be impractical or impossible to obtain experimentally, e.g. individual muscle forces. Also, multibody dynamics simulation allows one to constrain virtually any apparatus to the musculoskeletal system, helping to understand and improve the patient’s dynamic interactions with the device. The modeling and validation of human multibody models remain a tedious task to achieve for the research community and can vary significantly depending on the applications. Despite the advantages offered by the multibody modeling of the human body, its introduction in the biomedical engineering curriculum is not widespread. The present paper aims to evaluate the feasibility and the interest of introducing multibody modeling into multidisciplinary, real-world projects using 3D printed prototypes to add an experimental understanding of the difficulties and validation of the human body modeling. The proposed methodology is based on a literature review of the multibody dynamics teaching methods used in mechanical engineering, followed by a first pilot project and feedback from students and professors of the community through interviews. Finally, a project is proposed, using physical prototyping to support the learning.