Addressing unpredictability may be the key to improving performance with current clinically prescribed myoelectric prostheses (2021)
Journal Article
Chadwell, A., Kenney, L., Thies, S., Head, J., Galpin, A., & Baker, R. (2021). Addressing unpredictability may be the key to improving performance with current clinically prescribed myoelectric prostheses. Scientific reports, 11, 3300. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82764-6

The efferent control chain for an upper-limb myoelectric prosthesis can be separated into 3 key areas: signal generation, signal acquisition, and device response. Data were collected from twenty trans-radial myoelectric prosthesis users using their o... Read More about Addressing unpredictability may be the key to improving performance with current clinically prescribed myoelectric prostheses.

Are older people putting themselves at risk when using their walking frames? (2020)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Bates, A., Costamagna, E., Kenney, L., Granat, M., Webb, J., …Dawes, H. (2020). Are older people putting themselves at risk when using their walking frames?. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-1450-2

Background Walking aids are issued to older adults to prevent falls, however, paradoxically their use has been identified as a risk factor for falling. To prevent falls, walking aids must be used in a stable manner, but it remains unknown to what ext... Read More about Are older people putting themselves at risk when using their walking frames?.

Objective measures of rollator user stability and device loading during different walking scenarios (2019)
Journal Article
Costamagna, E., Thies, S., Kenney, L., Howard, D., Lindemann, U., Klenk, J., & Baker, R. (2019). Objective measures of rollator user stability and device loading during different walking scenarios. PLoS ONE, 14(1), e0210960. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210960

Walking aids are widely used by older adults, however, alarmingly, their use has been linked to increased falls-risk, yet clinicians have no objective way of assessing user stability. This work aims to demonstrate the application of a novel methodolo... Read More about Objective measures of rollator user stability and device loading during different walking scenarios.

Upper limb activity in myoelectric prosthesis users is biased towards the intact limb and appears unrelated to goal-directed task performance (2018)
Journal Article
Chadwell, A., Kenney, L., Granat, M., Thies, S., Head, J., Galpin, A., & Baker, R. (2018). Upper limb activity in myoelectric prosthesis users is biased towards the intact limb and appears unrelated to goal-directed task performance. Scientific reports, 8, #11084. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29503-6

Studies of the effectiveness of prosthetic hands involve assessing user performance on functional tasks in the lab/clinic, sometimes combined with self-report of real-world use. In this paper we compare real-world upper limb activity between a group... Read More about Upper limb activity in myoelectric prosthesis users is biased towards the intact limb and appears unrelated to goal-directed task performance.

Effects of shoe sole geometry on toe clearance and walking stability in older adults (2015)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Price, C., Kenney, L., & Baker, R. (2015). Effects of shoe sole geometry on toe clearance and walking stability in older adults. Gait & Posture, 42(2), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.04.011

Thirty-five percent of people above age 65 fall each year, and half of their falls are associated with tripping: tripping, an apparently ‘mundane’ everyday problem, therefore significantly impacts on older people's health and associated medical costs... Read More about Effects of shoe sole geometry on toe clearance and walking stability in older adults.

Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults (2011)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Jones, R., Kenney, L., Howard, D., & Baker, R. (2011). Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults. Journal of Biomechanics, 44(15), 2679-2684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2011.07.027

Trips are a major cause of falls and result from involuntary contact of the foot with the ground during the swing phase of gait. Adequate toe clearance during swing is therefore crucial for safe locomotion. To date, little is known about the effects... Read More about Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults.

Biomechanics for inclusive urban design : effects of tactile paving on older adults’ gait when crossing the street (2011)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Kenney, L., Howard, D., Nester, C., Ormerod, M., Newton, R., …Maclennan, H. (2011). Biomechanics for inclusive urban design : effects of tactile paving on older adults’ gait when crossing the street. Journal of Biomechanics, 44(8), 1599-1604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.12.016

In light of our ageing population it is important that the urban environment is easily accessible and hence supports older adults’ independence. Tactile ‘blister’ paving was originally designed to provide guidance for visually impaired people at pede... Read More about Biomechanics for inclusive urban design : effects of tactile paving on older adults’ gait when crossing the street.