Work in progress: Hands-on biomechanics lab for undergraduate universities

This paper discusses the development of a biomechanics lab course suitable for use at undergraduate engineering institutions who wish to expand their elective offerings or move towards developing a bioengineering degree program. The labs are designed to be low cost and feasible in a teaching environment with groups of students rotating through stationary lab setups. The biomechanics course at the University of Portland has nine labs. The six stationary labs are 1) Gait Force Profile Analysis, 2) Basketball Freethrow Arm Angle Analysis, 3) Biomechanical Arm Muscle Analysis, 4) Muscle Fatigue Analysis, 5) Occupational Biomechanics Glove Fatigue Analysis, and 6) Breathing, Heart Rate, and Knee Motion Analysis. The three labs performed as a class are 7) Sprint Acceleration and Terminal Velocity Analysis, 8) Auto Collision Analysis, and 9) Orthopaedic Implant Mechanical Testing. The remainder of this paper is a detailed description of each lab, its learning objectives, and how it was implemented. Other aspects, such as final projects, research reports, and student opinions of the course will also be discussed.