Other attributes
BIOMECHANICS (from bio... and mechanics), a section of biophysics that studies mechanics. the properties of living tissues, organs and the organism as a whole, as well as the mechanical processes occurring in them. phenomena. The term "B." was previously also called. the branch of embryology is the mechanics of development, more often called experimental embryology. Usually the term "B." is applied to the doctrine of the movements of man and animals. However, in ser. 20th century. the boundaries of research on B. have expanded: B. of the respiratory apparatus (see Breathing) studies its elasticity. and inelastic. resistance, kinematics (i.e. geometric. the characteristic of movement) and the dynamics of breathing. movements, as well as others. the sides of the activity breathe. the apparatus as a whole and its parts (lungs, chest); B. blood circulation studies the elastic properties of blood vessels and the heart, hydraulic. vascular resistance to blood flow, propagation of elastic vibrations along the vascular wall, blood movement, heart function, etc. (see Hemodynamics); B. movements based on anatomical and theoretical data. mechanics, examines the structure of the organs of movement, the nature of the application of muscle forces that cause movement in the joints, the kinematics of joints, the distribution of body weight along its links, the patterns of movement of these links and the body as a whole, determines the nature, direction and significance of the acting forces. Biomechanical. the motion characteristic is compiled on the basis of structural, kinematic data. and dynamic. analysis. In structural analysis, the number of degrees of freedom of kinematics is determined. body chains, their character (open, closed); kinematic. the analysis gives a characteristic of movement (trajectory, velocity and acceleration); dynamic - reveals a picture of the interaction of internal and external forces. Most often, the task of biomechanical research is to determine the picture of the acting forces by kinematics. characteristics of movement. This makes it possible to assess the efficiency of movement, the degree of use of both external and muscular forces and to judge the mechanisms of coordination and regulation of movements. In this part, B. is in close contact with the physiology of movements. The other task of biomechanical research is to study different body positions (standing, sitting, etc.). At the same time, the values of static are determined. moments, the position of the general center of gravity of the body in relation to the support, the degree of stability of the body in this position, i.e., in essence, determine the nature of the interaction of internal and external forces. The solution of such problems is also connected with physiology, with the doctrine of the position and balance of the body in space.
Various methods of registering displacements, velocities, and accelerations of the studied movements are used in research on B. The most commonly used optician. methods: accelerated filming, cyclography, kimocyclography, etc. With their help, they determine the spaces, movements of the body, movements of its links relative to each other, calculate linear and angular velocities and accelerations, acting forces. Used in B. also methods of electrical. registration is mechanical. magnitudes with the help of mechanotrons, angular displacement sensors, support dynamographs.
The history of B. The beginning of research on B. was laid by ital. the scientist Leonardo da Vinci, who studied human movements from the standpoint of anatomy and mechanics. It means that ital had an impact on the development of B. naturalist J. Borelli, who viewed the body as a machine and sought to explain breathing, blood movement and muscle work from the standpoint of mechanics. In the book "On the Movement of Animals" (1680-81), he gives a mechanical. analysis of the movements of the links of the human and animal bodies when walking, running, swimming. The experimental study of human walking was carried out by him. scientists E. and V. Weber (1836), V. Browne and O. Fischer (1895), French scientist E. Marey (1894), amer.-W. O. Fenn (1935), X. Elftman (1938). The works of amer. scientists F. G. Evans (1957), G. Frost (1964) are devoted to the study of the mechanics of living tissues; B. respiration was studied by Amer. scientist J. L. Clemens (1965), hemodynamics was studied by his compatriots G. M. Taylor (1953), E. O. Ettinger (1964). The development of B. in Russia is connected with the work on the theoretical. anatomy of P. F. Lesgaft (1905) and the book by I. M. Sechenov "An Essay on the working movements of man" (1901), containing a summary of the most important biomechanics. characteristics of human movements. Research on B. they were initially applied in nature and were aimed at rationalizing the workplace, working posture, tool shape, and working techniques. They were based on the methods of cyclography and cyclogrammetry. Detailed studies of human locomotion were carried out by N. A. Bernstein and his collaborators. Biodynamic analysis was carried out. analysis of walking of healthy people, its evolution in children and the elderly, as well as running, jumping, marching.
Practical. meaning. Research in the field of B. is of significant interest for various fields of knowledge: physiology of labor and sports, military. and the clinic. medicine, including neurology, orthopedics, traumatology, prosthetics. So, the study of B. fizich. exercises and sports movements contribute to the disclosure of the basics of skill and the development of a scientifically based training system. The study of human working movements makes it possible to evaluate the efficiency of a particular variant of movements and improve their structure. Study of the strength of bones, joints, ligaments, elastic-viscous properties of muscles, etc. It is important for traumatology and orthopedics, for understanding the mechanisms of damaging factors and injury prevention.
Hence, B. is of interest for prosthetics, being the basis for the design of prosthetic and orthopedic. products. Many characteristics of the musculoskeletal system. the apparatus is used in the design of other technical. systems (see Bionics).
Thus, data on the structure and control mechanisms are "live kinematics. chains" with many. degrees of freedom (for example, the arm, starting from the clavicular-scapular joint, has 33 degrees of freedom, which provides the possibility of extremely diverse movements and turns) are used in the creation of automatic manipulators and robots used in various fields of technology.
A number of biomechanics. indicators of the state of blood circulation (see Ballistocardiography, Dynamocardiography) and respiration are taken into account when diagnosing and determining indications for heart and lung operations. B. Respiration and blood circulation studies were used in the creation of the "heart - lungs" apparatus.