Quantification of human motion on roller coaster rides

Case reports have been published of people experiencing symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or ailments of the vascular tissue around the head. These reports pointed towards G-forces, a scalar measure without a specified direction, which represent the measure of the acceleration of an object divided by acceleration caused by gravity (9.81 m/s^2), as a cause of said injuries. Research has been conducted on quantifying the G-forces experienced while on roller coasters, as well as the change in heart rate. However these studies have not been able to show a link between roller-coasters and symptoms. This thesis aims to conceive of a system to capture total body motions and physiological properties, and to prove that the data can be successfully recorded. A system is built which would contain a series of sensor systems to sense and record various biomechanical and physiological parameters; with these data one can assess effects on the body. Along with this system, a BioHarness device is used on participants, which would record a number of physiological parameters. Testing is conducted on fourteen subjects on three rides, and the data are evaluated to see whether total body motions are successfully captured.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering - (M.S.)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biomedical Engineering

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Burman, Chirag

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bryan J. Pfister
• Michael T. Bergen
• William Corson Hunter

• Total body motions
• G-forces experience
• Heart rate
• Roller coaster rides
• Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/140

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.njit.edu:theses-1139