Health Sciences Solutions
Biomechanics, Human Use & Mobility Studies
The fields and disciplines of Biomechanics, Human Use and Mobility Studies bring the necessary understanding of the principles of physics and engineering to the biological, medical science, and human interaction with medical devices and equipment bridging the gap between physical and medical sciences. Studying and assessing this interaction is essential to fully characterizing the expected, and unexpected use and performance of medical devices and equipment.
Biomechanics
Biomechanics enhances medical devices by combining engineering principles with biological insights to improve their design, functionality and safety.
For orthopedic implant performance, biomechanics considers how the implants perform under and withstand forces, to include compressive, tensile and shear forces. Mechanical properties include elastic modulus, yield strength, and elongation to failure. Individually and collectively these properties impact the implant’s performance and longevity. Devises must accommodate natural movements, so understanding degrees of freedom (how many ways a joint can move) is also crucial.
Biomechanics draws inspiration from natural sciences to create effective medical devices.
S-E-A’s team has training in mechanical engineering, physics, mechanics, anatomy, physiology, biology, kinesiology, sports science, impact biomechanics, neuromechanics, ergonomics, and industrial engineering. This training and education allows our experts to understand and analyze how a human physically interacts with its environment. It is a vital field for improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Human Use
Successful medical device and equipment design and performance is highly dependent upon effectively integrating the fields of Human Factors Engineering and Usability into the development process. Human Factors Engineering applies the knowledge about human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics of medical devices and equipment users to design safer and more effective products. It involves optimizing various aspects of device design to ensure that mechanical and software-driven user interfaces are intuitive and user friendly. It minimizes the likelihood of user errors during device operation.
Usability refers to the property of the user-product interface that includes effectiveness, efficiency, ease of learning, and user satisfaction by ensuring that medical devices are safe and error-free for users, minimizing use-related hazards and risks. The goal is to confirm the users can operate the device safely and effectively.
A key strength of S-E-A’s HSS team is the ability to provide experienced associates in Human Factors Engineering and Usability to work with our clients to employ these critical insights and assessments as part of our product evaluation capabilities.
Experts at S-E-A can help.
S-E-A is a Forensic Engineering Firm with corporate headquarters based in Columbus, OH. S-E-A is a true multi-disciplined failure analysis company with fire investigators, civil engineers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers. Basically, if it fails or breaks we figure out how and why.
With 16 offices and locations and over 300 professionals, S-E-A is able to provide an immediate response to our clients' needs regardless of location. Contact S-E-A at 800-782-6851 or via the website under Contact Us or Submit an Assignment.