This paper proposes a novel application of the Stewart–Gough parallel platform as a climbing robot and its kinematics control to climb through long structures describing unknown spatial trajectories, such as palm trunks, tubes, etc. First, the description and design of the climbing parallel robot is presented. Second, the inverse and forward kinematics analysis of a mobile six-degrees-of-freedo...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the injury risk associated with indoor rock climbing competition. METHODS All injuries reported to medical personnel at the 2005 World Championships in Rock Climbing were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS Four hundred forty-three climbers (273 men, 170 women) from 55 countries participated in 3 separate disciplines totaling 520 climbing days. Only 4 of 18 acute medical pr...

This paper focuses on the stair-climbing problem for a tracked robot. The tracked robot designed in this paper has the ability to explore stairs in an unknown indoor environment, climbing up and down the stairs, keeping balance while climbing, and successfully landing on the stair platform. Intelligent algorithms are proposed to explore and align stairs, and a fuzzy controller is introduced to ...

In this paper a short survey on the research of climbing machine is given with a strong focus on industrial applications. Based on a classification of different types of climbing machines examples of robots are presented, which are prototypically developed for industrial and commercial use. Considering the application environment the system requirements of climbing machines will be presented. A...

OBJECTIVE The superficial location of renal transplants places them at risk for traumatic damage. Significant injuries have been reported from automobile seat belts, for example. This study was designed to assess the potential for direct transplant injury from the use of climbing harnesses. METHODS Ten patients with kidney transplants were fitted with a variety of climbing harnesses after the...

Rock climbing has increased in popularity as both a recreational physical activity and a competitive sport. Climbing is physiologically unique in requiring sustained and intermittent isometric forearm muscle contractions for upward propulsion. The determinants of climbing performance are not clear but may be attributed to trainable variables rather than specific anthropometric characteristics.

BACKGROUND Accumulation of lifestyle physical activity is a current aim of health promotion, with increased stair climbing one public health target. While the workplace provides an opportunity for regular stair climbing, evidence for effectiveness of point-of-choice interventions is equivocal. This paper reports a new approach to worksite interventions, aimed at changing attitudes and, hence, b...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with different types of disease courses (relapsing-remitting, secondary-progressive, primary progressive) that leads to physical as well as mental disability. The symptoms comprise paresis or/and paralysis, ataxia, bladder dysfunction, visual problems as well as effects on cognition. There...

OBJECTIVES To report the physiological responses of indoor rock climbing. METHODS Fourteen experienced climbers (nine men, five women) performed three climbing trials on an indoor climbing wall. Subjects performed three trials of increasing difficulty: (a) an easy 90 degrees vertical wall, (b) a moderately difficult negatively angled wall (106 degrees), and (c) a difficult horizontal overhang...

Adaptations promoting greater performance in one habitat are thought to reduce performance in others. However, there are many examples of animals in which, despite habitat differences, such predicted differences in performance do not occur. One such example is the relationship between locomotory performance to habitat for varanid lizards. To explain the lack of difference in locomotor performan...