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Introducing ADAMS, a Mechanical System Simulation Software, to Bioengineering Students Rakié Cham, Brian Moyer Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh

ABSTRACT

Integrating mechanical system simulation software into traditional engineering courses enhances the instruction of basic dynamics principles and improves creative design skills. ADAMS simulation software and its add-on tool, Human Figure Modeler, developed and marketed by Mechanical Dynamics Inc., was, for the first time, introduced to bioengineering students at the University of Pittsburgh to enhance the learning of biomechanical principles. The goal of this paper is to describe the course, report on our instructive experience and students’ evaluation of the class and suggest future teaching strategies. Twelve, two-hour weekly sessions were scheduled during the fall 2001 semester to teach this course. Based on our experience, we believe that the integration of ADAMS into existing bioengineering courses can greatly improve students’ understanding of biomechanical systems, while simultaneously adding to their engineering skills. However, the efficient use of this software requires training and regular use. We suggest that students be required to take a course similar to the Introduction to ADAMS for Bioengineers course discussed in this presentation before they enroll in any other bioengineering class that incorporates ADAMS as an additional educational tool.

MOTIVATION

In regular classroom environments, students sometimes find it difficult to grasp the properties rigid body motion, partly due to the difficulty of using intuition to visualize three-dimensional dynamics. It is our opinion that dynamics including body biomechanics are learned much better in an interactive way. With the use of a mechanical simulation software, students can get beyond the mathematical formalism and use physical reasoning to tackle challenging problems, quickly change the model’s parameters and observe the effects of the changes. The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh has recognized the importance of visual learning in the field of biomechanics, acquired ADAMS simulation software from Mechanical Dynamics Inc, and introduced its students to this tool. This paper describes the course, reports on our instructive experience and students’ evaluation of the class and suggests future teaching strategies.

We chose ADAMS based on its utility in industry and its integration in a number of mechanical engineering courses. We focused on two of ADAMS’ numerous components: (1) ADAMS/View (A/View), a graphical interface used for building, simulating and animating models, and (2) Human Figure Modeler, an add-on tool that allows modeling of human body biomechanics. Another appealing feature of the software is its numerous potential applications in research, both in mechanical engineering and bioengineering. For example, both instructors of this course use Human Figure Modeler to study the biodynamics of human movement (standing and gait) and postural control mechanisms under various external perturbations.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Cham, R., & Moyer, B. (2002, June), Introducing Adams, A Mechanical System Simulation Software, To Bioengineering Students Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10663