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Fantastic Seminar by Benjamin WHEATLEY

March 2025

🌟 What a blast last Friday at i-biomec (Arts et Métiers - École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers) with a fantastic seminar by Benjamin Wheatley (Bucknell University) titled:

"You Are a Machine! Computational Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Across Length Scales."

✨Ben is visiting us as part of a Transatlantic Research Partnership project funded by the Albertine Foundation focused on linking muscle microstructure to mechanical function — to better understand and prevent sarcopenia and deep tissue injuries in older adults.

💥 One of the standout moments? His awesome work on bighorn sheep horns — showing how their geometry and mechanics reduce impact and lower the head injury criterion. A perfect case of bioinspiration meets biomechanics! doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/acb47

🧠💪 And we even learned a new expression from our guest:

"Jack of all trades, master of ONE."

Great science, great energy — always a pleasure to collaborate across the Atlantic 🌍💪

#Biomechanics #Bioinspiration #MuscleResearch #BighornSheep #Sarcopenia #ComputationalModeling #ScienceIsFun #InternationalCollaboration #iBioMeC #AlbertineFoundation

The Strain on Scientific Publishing

March 2024

Hanson, M. A., Barreiro, P. G., Crosetto, P., Brockington, D. (2023). The Strain on Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2309.15884

For these four authors, scientific publishing is going through a major crisis, suffering from this deluge of articles. The practices of certain publishers are putting the sector under strain and having a direct impact on researchers. In their article "The strain on scientific publishing", Mark A. Hanson, Pablo Gómez Barreiro, Paolo Crosetto and Dan Brockington provide the tools needed to see things clearly. Using previously unpublished data on the practices of the main scientific publishers, they draw up a complete picture of the sector and identify the practices that encourage more strain. In this short video, Paolo Crosetto, co-author of the article, explains their approach and reports on the conclusions of this survey, which was carried out to help scientists make informed choices about where to submit their articles.

VIDEO : https://science-ouverte.inrae.fr/fr/actualites/video-ledition-scientifique-sous-pression-decryptage-de-paolo-crosetto-co-auteur-de 

HyperElasticity Song

March 2024

Composed by ChatGPT (lyrics and chords)

[Verse 1]

F

In the realm of matter, forces intertwine,

F

Hyperelasticity, a rhythm divine.

F

Stretching and bending, like a rubber band,

F

Stretch and squeeze, in a porous sea,

[Chorus]

F

Poroelasticity, like a sponge it absorbs,

G# C# D#

Fluids and solids, in porous corridors.

F

Press and release, flow and swell,

G# C# D#

In the realm of mechanics, stories tell.

[Bridge]

D# A# F

D# A# F C

[Solo]

F G# C# D#

[Verse 2]

F

From engineering to biology's embrace,

F

These properties weave through time and space.

F

In the fabric of nature, they play their part,

F

In the song of existence, they hold our hearts.

[Chorus]

F

Poroelasticity, like a sponge it absorbs,

G# C# D#

Fluids and solids, in porous corridors.

F

Press and release, flow and swell,

G# C# D#

In the realm of mechanics, stories tell.

Martha VARDAKI invited for a one-month research visit at IBHGC 

February 2024

Very happy to announce that we are currently hosting a one-month research visit of Martha VARDAKI, researcher at the National Hellenic Research Foundation. The specific aims of the visit of Dr Martha Vardaki are to: 1/ assist the integration of a polarized microscopy imaging system at the Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpak, in terms of installation and training of the staff. 2/ apply the system for a preliminary experiment for the combination of ultrasound and polarized microscopy to determine the alignment of collagen fibers in the outer layers of the intervertebral disc, aiming a long-term goal of including this aspect in the multi-scale modeling of the disc. 3/ to start drafting a project for an ERC Advanced Grant, concerning the multiscale and biochemical modeling of the intervertebral disc.

Quote of the day

“I believe that the scientists should be focusing on the science, because if they’re worrying about all the other things, the science comes essentially last.” 

Medicinal chemist Susan Winks got an MBA and pivoted to operations — now she’s proud that her work frees researchers to “spend until we tell them to stop spending”. (Nature | 6 min read) 

Distinction : Société de Biomécanique Collaborative Grant 

October 2023

Very proud of Alexandre SEGAIN. The collaborative research project on the "development of a non-invasive and atraumatic characterization method to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of soft tissues in vivo based on a system that is compatible with clinical routine constraints" between the Solav Biomechanical Interfaces Group of the Technion (Haifa, Israel) and the Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpak of ENSAM (France) was sucessful. 

The primary objective of the COLLABORATIONS DE RECHERCHE grants from Société de Biomécanique is to foster collaborative scientific projects established by its members. Awardees are afforded an opportunity to work in research labs other than their current place of activity for over a month. These grants provide younger researchers with the chance to expand and compare their areas of expertise, as well as explore different research environments. 

https://www.biomecanique.org/fr/bourses-et-prix/laureats 

Videos on Pressure Ulcer

December 2022

Les escarres: quand le peau se nécrose

Comment soigner les escarres ? - Le Magazine de la Santé

EPUAP Podcast #3: Pressure ulcer prevention in a specific clinical setting: operation theatre

March 2022

The third podcast aims to discuss a crucial topic “PU prevention in a specific clinical setting: operation theatre”. Information in the podcast is based on speakers’ professional experiences and their usage in the light of evidence-based practice. An essential part of the information presented is the introduction of a specific implementation project to support the quality of care in preventing perioperative pressure injuries. The authors believe that this will also ensure the translation of the experience and evidence-based practices to other facilities. At the very least, the podcast should be a starting point or way to provide an opportunity for constructive criticism of healthcare professionals working in perioperative care.

The presented implementation project in the podcast has been done as a part of the “Strategic Partnership in Innovation and Development of Evidence-Based Healthcare (2019-1-CZ01-KA202-061350)” funded by the European Union / Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices.

https://www.epuap.org/news/podcast-3-pu-prevention-in-a-specific-clinical-setting-operation-theatre/ 

Bethany KEENAN invited for a one-month research visit at IBHGC 

September 2021

Very happy to announce that we are currently hosting a one-month research visit of Bethany KEENAN, researcher at Cardiff University. Bethany has been developing new medical imaging methods (new MRI sequences) as well as new methodologies in soft tissue biomechanics to study fundamental aspects of pressure ulcer formation in order to improve their treatment and prevention. Her expertise, recognised in the scientific community, is complementary to the activities of the IBHGC on pressure ulcer prevention

https://twitter.com/PierreYvesRohan/status/1445818807017041924 

Our training philosophy @IBHGC 

September 2021

Adapted from Dr Jones's website

Our lab fosters an open, inquisitive research environment that encourages learning, understanding, and collaboration. We create multi-way exchanges of information where students learn from each other and me and where we learn from our students. Students applying to our lab should have a passion and dedication to learn and be good scientists. We will mentor students and will train them into how to effectively communicate scientific findings, how to establish and foster collaborations, and how to choose and pursue scientific research questions. 

We take training graduate students seriously and we expect to commit a significant amount of time to ensuring  students are quality scientists and communicators. In return, we do expect a lot out of our students. We expect them to contribute significant time and energy into producing quality research and theses. Students are also expected to present their research at scientific meetings, publish their findings in appropriate scholarly journals, and participate to the life of the lab.

Elected as an EPUAP trustee 

September 2021

Proud to have been elected as an EPUAP trustee and Chair of the "RESEARCH COMMITTEE" of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP). Glad to participate to the collective efforts with other dedicated and enthusiastic professionals !

https://www.epuap.org/organisation/#executiveboard 

Young Investigator Award 2021 of the SB

July 2021

Proud to have been awarded the Young Investigator Award 2021 of the Biomechanics Society !

https://www.biomecanique.org/index.php/fr/evenements/fil-d-actualites/204-les-laureats-des-prix-sb-2021 

https://twitter.com/SBiomecanique/status/1453021099369762820 

https://twitter.com/BiomecaEnsam/status/1452909454836604933 

https://twitter.com/fcolloud/status/1452727902005514243

https://inside.ensam.eu/content/les-actualit%C3%A9s-du-campus-de-paris-10 

PhD Position on PU Prevention at IBHGC ! 

March 2021

Pressure ulcers are a decubitus complication whose epidemiology is now known and which affects populations at risk: elderly or disabled people. It generally appears when excessive mechanical loads are applied to the skin, such as, for example, during mechanical interaction between a person and a medical device (Manual Wheelchair, prosthetic socket, exoskeleton, etc.) or support surfaces (hospital bed). In a previous study, and as an alternative to MRI-based/CT-scan-based assessment, a methodology combining low-dose biplanar X-ray images, B-mode ultrasound images and optical scanner acquisitions in a non-weight-bearing sitting posture has been proposed for the fast generation of patient-specific FE models of the buttock and applied to 19 healthy subjects. To contribute to the development of tools for assessing the risk of injury during prolonged contact, the objective is now to model the temporal evolution of the mechanical response and to take into account biological processes. 

Deadline : April, 1st 2021

Tutorial for clinical data assimilation

June 2020

A short tutorial of an open-source and free end-to-end pipeline of clinical data importation into FEniCS framework done by Stephane Urcun stephane.urcun@ensam.eu 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwK7zP4sas&t=4s 

My colleagues in the spotlight !

Biomécanique au service de l’anatomie : réparer ou améliorer le corps humain ? | Xavier Bonnet  | October 2020

The editorial staff of Caractères raised the question ofthe development of the science of "repair" of the human body. In the field of medicine, technological advances today allow the manufacture of biomechanical prostheses capable of replacing our limbs but also some of our essential organs such as the heart or the retina. 

Webinar: Société Française de l'Escarre 

June 2020

The IBHGC will participate to the 1st Webinar of the Société Française de l'Escarre dedicated to the "Interest and relevance of tools in the prevention and care of pressure ulcers: current and innovative tools" ! 

https://webinaire-escarre-2020.eventmaker.io/ 

The Biomechanics platform of the IBHGC 

October 2019

Institut Carnot Arts just released a new promotional video on the 1000 m2 technology platform of the Institut de Biomecanique Humaine Georges Charpak (IBHGC) of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers (ENSAM) fully dedicated to research in neuro-musculo-skeletal biomechanics. The associated technological platform comprises a unique combination of (i) In vitro biomechanical analysis equipment for joint and tissue characterization, and for the design and evaluation of surgical techniques and innovative implants, including an experimental surgery room and static or dynamic testing devices (ii) Quantitative in vivo functional analysis, including the EOS system, gait lab, ultrasound elastography device, (iii) Software platform for biomedical modeling and medical imaging. For more information, see the video (click on the image on the right to start download).

The Institute joins the STINTS EU ITN

January 2019

The Institute joined the STINTS (Skin Tissue INTegrity under Shear) EU Innovative Training Network of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions as a Partner Organization. STINTS aims at understanding the complex biomechanical and biochemical pathways leading to loss of skin integrity, following the exposure of the skin to prolonged pressure and shear forces that ultimately result in damage at the cellular level e.g. pressure ulcers. As part of these projects, a PhD position is focusing on the development of a mixed experimental and numerical approach for the personalized simulation of the poro-elastic response of pelvic soft tissues during the interaction with support surfaces (wheelchair cushions and mattresses) has been funded. This is one of the cohort of 13 ESRs of STINTS.

Distinction : European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Award

September 2018

Very proud of Aurélien Macron. His PhD work on the  Development and evaluation of simplified Finite Element model for pressure ulcer prevention in sitting posture received the Journal of Clinical Biomechanics Award at the 20th Annual Meeting of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (2018) 

http://epuap2018.org/awards/award-winners/ 

My colleagues in the spotlight !

Pourquoi les footballeurs se blessent-ils tant ? | Philippe Rouch | June 2018

Wafa Skalli Prix Spécial Marius Lavet "Ingénieur et inventeur" 2018 | Wafa Skalli | March 2018 

Biomécanique et prothèses | Xavier Bonnet | August 2017 

Comprendre la mécanique du corps - 10 minutes pour les sciences | Louis Clavel | February 2017 

Des robots au service de la recherche dans le domaine du sport | Philippe Rouch | July 2016