Biography
Current Position:
Associate Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Cross-appointed to the School of Physical & Health Education
Education:
B.Sc., Physiology, University of Toronto, 1981
M.Sc.E., Electrical Engineering (Institute of Biomedical Engineering), University of New Brunswick, 1984
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering (Institute of Biomedical Engineering), University of New Brunswick, 1988
Research Interests
- human performance measurement
- measurement and analysis of biological signals
- understanding the effects of load carriage
My general research area is Biomedical Engineering, which is the application of engineering principles and techniques to problems in medicine and biology. My main focus is on measuring signals from humans and using these signals to gain insight into specific aspects of human physiology and biomechanics. Much of my research is done in collaboration with the Ergonomics Research Group at Queen's.
Current Research Projects
Estimation of Metabolic Energy Cost from Upper Body Accelerations
It is known that whole body accelerations, generally measured at the waist or hips, are well correlated to metabolic energy costs for certain activities. The purpose of this research is to determine if accelerations measured from the upper body, are correlated to the metabolic energy cost of walking for different walking speeds, different inclines and different loads carried in a backpack. A preliminary statistical model has been developed. Future work will include refinement of the model and application of the model to activities other than walking. This work is supported by Defence R&D Canada - Toronto.
Assessing Human Activity from Upper Body Accelerations
A large scale human trial was run in Dec. 2001 to measure relevant signals, using portable instrumentation, from subjects as they completed a standardized circuit (shown at right). The circuit included discrete activities requiring mobility and agility. Subjects completed the circuit three times, carrying one of three loads (light, medium or heavy) in a backpack. Upper body accelerations were measured in three planes and analyzed. The magnitude of the accelerations was found to be related to the activity performed and the pattern was consistent across the three loads. This indicates that the activities can be ordered by intensity, based on recorded upper body accelerations. This work was supported by Defence R&D Canada - Toronto.
Advanced EMG signal processing techniques:
The electromyogram (EMG) is detected and recorded during voluntary muscle contraction. In order to facilitate signal processing, the EMG is often recorded under controlled experimental conditions - in general, a subject maintains a constant position (isometric) and constant force (isotonic) contraction in the muscle under study. The resulting signal record can be processed using standard techniques. During normal activity, however, muscle contractions are neither isometric nor isotonic and the resulting EMG signal records are non-stationary and dynamic. Techniques for processing and extracting information from such dynamic signals are being investigated. Dynamic EMG signal processing would have application to problems in sport, rehabilitation therapy and work studies.
Recent Publications
Telephone: (613) 533-6562/2925
Fax: (613) 533-6615
E-mail: evelyn.morin [at] queensu.ca