BIOMENG 771 : Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedic Biomechanics

Engineering

2023 Semester Two (1235) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Topics that biomechanical and orthopaedic engineers use in research and industry. Includes guest lectures from practitioners. Orthopaedic engineering topics cover implant design, material choice, implant stress shielding and bone loss, implant wear and bone remodelling. Musculoskeletal biomechanics topics cover motion capture, inverse kinematics and dynamics, muscle force evaluation, electromyography (EMG), inertial sensors and applications in sports medicine and rehabilitation.

Course Overview

This course covers a wide range of topics that broadly cover the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and solve key problems in biomechanics. The rst part of the course deals with understanding methods to measure and estimate forces and moments in the musculoskeletal system. Examples are given in the context of musculoskeletal injury and disease, including knee ligament injuries, neurological disorders, and osteoarthritis. Two guest lectures are given in the rst part of the course, from experts in the eld of musculoskeletal biomechanics and neurological movement disorders. The second part of the course deals with orthopaedic biomechanics, covering a fundamental understanding of skeletal tissues and implant design. Two guest lectures are given by an orthopaedic surgeon and an engineer/CEO from a local orthopaedic start-up company.

Lecture content is supplemented by weekly labs, where students gain technical knowledge on the most up-to-date methods for computational modelling of the musculoskeletal system. This includes learning to use 'OpenSim', which is an industry-standard, open-source software package for modelling rigid body dynamics, and 'ABAQUS', as an industry-standard FE package for solving orthopaedic engineering problems.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points from ENGSCI 311, 313, 314

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of various forms of computational modelling to solve biomechanical problems, including rigid body dynamics and continuum finite element modelling, and when to use them (Capability 1.1)
  2. Demonstrate working knowledge of OpenSim and ABAQUS software (Capability 3.2)
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms of osteoarthritis and knee ligament injury (Capability 1.1)
  4. Analyse and evaluate orthopaedic implant designs (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
  5. Identify, critique and evaluate methods to solve the 'muscle redundancy problem' (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.2)
  6. Demonstrate an understanding of medical imaging methods, including ultrasound, MRI, and CT, and when to use them for research and clinical application (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.2)
  7. Demonstrate an understanding of how to model bone, joints, muscle, tendon, and cartilage (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Laboratories 30% Individual Coursework
Test 10% Individual Test
Final Exam 60% Individual Examination
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Laboratories
Test
Final Exam

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 24 hours of lectures, 24 hours of labs, 12 hours of background reading and online quizzes, and 90 hours of work on assignments and test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including lectures and labs to complete components of the course. Lectures involve interaction, so attendance is encouraged.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Labs will not be available as recordings.

Attendance on campus is required for the test.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings. There is no course book or required text book.

Health & Safety

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook. Labs are computer-based, so do not require any workshop experience or health and safety risks. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

This year we did not reach a threshold of students submitting SET surveys, but in prior years we have made changes to the labs in response to student feedback. Some of the lab material was streamlined, which enabled students to work on their assignments at the same time as the labs, to reinforce the material learnt in the tutorial. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 10/11/2022 03:36 p.m.