About The Biorobotics And Biomechanics Lab: BRML - We bring theory to practice!

Founded in 2006 by Dr. Alon Wolf, BRML, is a new lab in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. The scope of work done in the BRML provides the framework for fundamental theories in kinematics with applications in BioKinematics, medical robotics and hyper Redundant mechanisms (snake robots).

From Prof. Wolf:

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”
- Leonardo Da Vinci

Over five hundred years ago, Leonardo Da Vinci recognized and emphasized the connection between mechanical design and the mechanism of biological motion. Da Vinci is perhaps the most brilliant engineer, inventor and investigator of the kinematics of different types of mechanisms and robots the world has ever known. At the same time, he was a biomechanical scientist who investigated human biomechanics and motion. Perhaps his most famous biomechanical sketch is that of the Vitruvian man, today used as the logo of many biomechanical departments and research labs worldwide. In recent years, I have noticed a tendency among my fellow kinematicians who explore mechanisms to carry out research related to human anatomy and motion. Like Leonardo, they have noticed the similarity between these two research realms. I see myself as part of this group of kinematicians who explore mechanisms and robotics and at the same time strive to solve the mechanisms of biological motion.

My main research interest is kinematics. I began my academic career as a kinematician and a roboticist, focusing on parallel mechanisms for medical robotic applications. I was fascinated by the combination of math, technology and medicine. While at Carnegie Mellon University and ICAOS (Pittsburgh), I continued my work on kinematics and medical robotics. During that time, I was also exposed to orthopedics and motion capture (mainly at ICAOS with Dr. Anthony Digioia). It became immediately evident to me that the kinematic analysis and synthesis of robotic mechanisms is quite similar to the analysis of human motion (gait). This time I found myself fascinated by the option to combine math and medicine in the hopes of defining, analyzing and synthesizing human motions to gain a better understanding of the pathophysiology of orthopedic malfunctions. Over time I have learned that my intuition was correct – at least from my perspective. Gait analysis and mechanism- design are based on the same common ground: the art of kinematics, which is the analysis of the motion of bodies whether they be bones and joints or links of a robotic device.

My work in biomechanics focuses on gait analyses of the large joints of the lower limbs. For example, I study the influence of ground reaction force on the loading of the joints of the lower limbs and the activation of the lower limb muscles. One consequence of these examinations is, for example, a better understanding of the mechanism of knee osteoarthritis and insight on how to treat these patients. My work includes an analysis of the kinematics, kinetics and electromyography of muscles involved in the motion under investigation.

I strongly believe that every theoretical study should be applicable in the real world. Bringing theory into practice is perhaps the greatest challenge of academic research. In my gait analysis research, I always validate and implement my hypothesis and theories on real experimental data. My work on medical devices and robotics enhances and facilitates of new medical procedures that were not achievable previously (e.g. CardioArm).