Institute for Biomechanics

Open Opportunities

Gravity line based surgical planning for spinal deformity corrections ETH Zurich Snedeker Group / Laboratory for Orthopaedic Biomechanics This project is about the implementation of an algorithm based on the patient's gravity line to help plan spinal deformity corrections. Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences Internship, Master Thesis, Semester Project

Investigating degeneration of bone cells in a mouse model of senile osteoporosis ETH Zurich Müller Group / Laboratory for Bone Biomechanics Age-related bone loss and associated fractures result in osteoporosis, a major problem for the elderly. Several studies suggested as a therapeutic target to prevent bone loss by precise coordination of bone remodeling through the interaction of bone cells namely: osteoclast-bone resorbing cells, osteoblasts-bone forming cells and osteocytes-key mechanosensors of bone remodeling. To understand the cellular mechanism of aging, this project investigates the degenerative changes in the bone cells in a mouse model of senile osteoporosis. Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences Bachelor Thesis, ETH Organization's Labels (ETHZ), Internship, Lab Practice, Master Thesis, Other specific labels, Semester Project

Orthotic shoes vs. gait modification, which approach provides superior effect for reducing knee adduction moment in patients with knee osteoarthritis? A systematic review ETH Zurich Clinical Movement Biomechanics Knee osteoarthritis severely affects people’s movement abilities and causes considerable knee pain, resulting in an impaired quality of life. With the knee OA progressing to the late stage, patients commonly need to receive a total knee arthroplasty, which greatly increase the socioeconomic burden. Orthotic shoes and gait modification are two popular approaches that have been proposed to be able for reducing knee adduction moment and relieving knee pain. However, their effects are often confounded without a clear analysis on the subjects, biomechanical responses, and quality of the research. We thus aim to perform a systematic review on these two approaches, with a specific aim to analyse their biomechanical effects reported in previous literature, as well as a guidance for further research. Biomechanics, Rehabilitation and Therapy: Occupational and Physical, Rehabilitation Engineering Master Thesis

The effect of shoe sole stiffness on 3D foot pressure and lower-​limb muscle fatigue during prolonged standing ETH Zurich Clinical Movement Biomechanics Shoes considerably influence human's comfort and muscle fatigue during long-term standing activities. By combining several state-of-the-art technologies, this study aims to investigate the temporal variations of 3D foot pressure and lower-limb muscle fatigue during prolonged standing with wearing shoes with two different stiffness. We are looking for a Master student to join us for this interesting study, as her/his Master (thesis) project. The candidate will have a great chance to assess several unique technologies within this project. Biomechanical Engineering, Human Movement and Sports Science, Rehabilitation Engineering Master Thesis

Novel approach to human motion tracking with wearable devices and machine learning ETH Zurich Neuromuscular Biomechanics Functional motor tasks such as walking are performed through a complex mechanism regulated by the human sensory-motor system (HSMS), such as subcortical regions (Basal ganglia and brain stem). HSMS assemble information from proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual receptors and continually transforms this information into the appropriate motor output with a certain degree of motor variability. The assessments of functional movements are conventionally carried out in a laboratory setting, requiring highly intensive labour and expensive equipment. Several investigations have proposed overcoming the limitations by utilising inertial measurement units (IMU) provide an alternative measuring paradigm, requiring much less labour and data acquisition in different settings. However, the characteristic of IMUs face issues such as phenomena called drift, causing an error in deriving accurate kinematic data to the optical motion capture system. The study will predominantly investigate the usage of machine learning to compensate the noise and drift in IMU sensors to derive accurate kinematic trajectory yielding spatial parameters such as step width and step length. The work will be validated by an optical motion capture system (VICON). Human Movement and Sports Science, Neural Networks, Genetic Alogrithms and Fuzzy Logic Internship, Master Thesis

Assessing Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's disease using Augmented Reality Technologies ETH Zurich Neuromuscular Biomechanics Freezing of gait (FoG) is a disabling gait impairment in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods that are able to sufficiently study and assess FoG remain to be provided. The introduction of augmented reality technologies now plausibly opens perspectives for standardized investigation of FoG. Human Movement and Sports Science, Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases, Rehabilitation and Therapy: Occupational and Physical, Rehabilitation Engineering ETH Organization's Labels (ETHZ), Internship, Master Thesis, Semester Project

3D-Printed mini-Bone-Organs ETH Zurich Müller Group / Laboratory for Bone Biomechanics Current tissue engineering strategies fail to recreate the complex bone architecture where a 3D bone cell network resides in the cavities for mechano-regulation of bone remodeling. This project aims to create a 3D printed in vitro model of bone for medicine. Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomaterials, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Macromolecular Chemistry, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, Polymers Master Thesis

The Lower-limb Muscle Forces during Drop Landings at Different Fatigue Levels: An Opensim Analysis Study ETH Zurich Clinical Movement Biomechanics Few studies have focused on the effect of fatigue severity on landing strategy. This study aimed to use Opensim simulations to investigate the effect of fatigue progression on lower-limb muscle forces during landing. We are hiring a Master student to do a Master thesis project with us, in which she/he will work with us on Opensim simulations of our mocap datasets. Biomechanical Engineering, Biomechanics, Motor Control ETH Organization's Labels (ETHZ), Master Thesis

Investigating correlations between scoliosis deformity and back shape with a low-cost prototype - A clinical study ETH Zurich Computational Biomechanics Spinal deformities are omnipresent and difficult to assess and monitor accurately. One of the most prevalent spinal deformities in children and adolescents is scoliosis, a three-dimensional deformation of the spine. To date, the standard approach for assessing and monitoring scoliosis is biplanar radiography (EOS system) using ionizing radiation. In this project spine analysis based on back surface scans is investigated. Optical 3D scanning is utilized to assess the 3D spinal curvature as a less expensive and non-invasive alternative to radiography. Biomechanics, Image Processing Master Thesis

Visualizing osteocyte network and lacunocanalicular system in aging bone ETH Zurich Müller Group / Laboratory for Bone Biomechanics Osteocytes are known to regulate bone mass with aging due to their central role in mechanotransduction and the expression of important molecular markers to orchestrate the bone remodeling process. Because osteocytes are not easily accessible as they are embedded within a deep mineralized matrix, therefore our understanding of bone remodeling with aging is incomplete. In this project, we investigate the changes in the osteocyte networks with aging by investigating the morphology of the lacunocanalicular network (LCN) through histological staining, confocal imaging and image analysis tools. Biology, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences Bachelor Thesis, Course Project, Internship, Lab Practice, Master Thesis, Semester Project