Improving the design of squat machine using motion capture and virtual prototyping |
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| Authors: | Lorenzo Mariti Pier Paolo Valentini |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
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| Abstract: | Dynamic squat is one of the most executed fitness exercise. Its use is widespread both for rehabilitation and training purposes. Several typologies of the squat exercise can be performed. The most important are the front squat and the back squat. In the front squat the barbell is held in front of the body across the clavicles and deltoids, while in the back squat exercise the bar is held on the back of the body at the base of the neck. In this paper we will refer to dynamic back squat. The squat exercise can be performed with or without the help of a machine that has the scope of guiding the person during the movement and ensuring his stability and safety. The use of this type of machine is often necessary when the workout is heavy and the risk of incorrect exercise and injuries is high. On the other hand, the rigid structure of this device often overconstrains the lifting movement. From all these observations, the purpose of the paper is to discuss an alternative design of a mechanism able to maintain the advantage to allow a free-body execution and to preserve the safety of the athletes as well. The proposed mechanism has been designed starting from an anthropometric study on the squat movement. This has been performed by using a motion capture system and applying computer-aided engineering techniques. The design activity started from the experimental investigation of the trajectory of the barbell during the natural execution of the unrestricted back squat exercise. The tests have been performed on several subjects with different mass, anthropometry and gender. In a second phase, the data have been processed and analyzed and a specific mechanism, able to reproduce the natural trajectories, has been synthetized. Finally, the design and optimization of the entire structure has been performed through the use of virtual prototyping techniques. |
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