Bipolar Spatial Light Modulator

A broad variety of military environments subject soldiers to severe shocks, vibrations, and rapid sharp motions on a regular basis that can contribute strongly to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and other repetitive stress injuries (RSIs). In order tounderstand the causes of MSDs, particularly to the head and neck, it is necessary to determine the forces and stresses imposed upon the head and neck and correlate the results with the response of the major muscle groups as measured by electromyographic(EMG) activity. Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop a Compact Upper Extremity Tracking and EMG Recorder (CUE-TER) system, with wired and wireless capability, in which microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors measure the accelerations androtations of the head and torso while simultaneously sensing the EMG activity of the major muscle groups of the neck and upper back. The resulting data is relayed from these sensors to a solid state recorder, which compresses and stores the results innon-volatile flash memory. From the recorded data, military personnel can extract the forces, torques, and stresses on the head and neck, and the associated muscle activity. This information can then be used to identify and ameliorate the causes of MSDs,and to design laboratory simulations.