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Do I currently use motion analysis, or
will I in the future?
If yes, you will want to collect an
analog signal because the motion capture
systems cannot yet integrate a digital
signal.
If no, the digital amplifier may be a
more user-friendly application for you.
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For what
type of application will I be using the force plates?
If you are performing the analysis of running,
jumping, or other sports related activities, you will
want a force plate with a higher natural frequency. (For
questions about natural frequency, see below.)
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What size
force plates will I need?
If you are analyzing running and other sports
activities, you may want either larger force plates or
additional smaller force plates to ensure that you can
easily capture foot strikes without burdensome
repetition of trials. Bertec offers several
different sizes of force plates as well as custom
sizes.
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Question 3:
What is the natural frequency of a force plate and why
is it important?
Answer: The natural frequency of a
force plate is the vibration frequency at which the
force plate rings when struck, similar to a tuning fork.
If a vibration equal to the natural frequency is applied
to the force plate, it will create interference in the
force signals. During high impact and sports
applications, higher frequency impacts are applied to
the force plate. As the natural frequency is directly
related to the thickness of a force plate, Bertec
Corporation offers force plates of
different thickness.
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Question 4:
What are Mounting Plates used for?
Answer:
Mounting plates are used to facilitate easier and
superior mounting of your force plate. The mounting
plate is a ¾” thick aluminum plate that is adhered to
the substrate flooring (i.e. concrete). The mounting
plate has holes that are tapped to easily secure the
force plate.
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Question 5:
What are Non-Conductive Force Plates used for?
Answer: Our
non-conductive force plates are used in conjunction
with magnetic motion tracking systems. The
non-conductive force plate eliminates the interference
that a metallic plate would cause in the motion capture
environment.
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Question 6:
Will Bertec Corporation Force Plates integrate with my
motion capture system?
Answer: Yes. Bertec
Corporation Force Plates have 6 output channels for Fx,
Fy, Fz, Mx, My, and Mz. Any motion capture system that
can accept force plate data should easily accept Bertec
force plate data. In fact, our embedded calibration
matrix makes our force plate set-up easier than any
other force plate on the market.
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Question 7:
Why are Bertec Corporation Force Plates better than the
competition?
Answer: There are four main advantages
that our force plates hold over our competition:
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Digitization at the force plate - Our force plates
convert the signal into a digital RS 485 signal
inside the force plate. This allows for the
transmission of data over long cables without the
risk of interference and eliminates the need to
modify excitation voltages.
-
Top
mounting - Many of our force plates can be mounted
from the top rather than at the feet. This allows
for the easiest installation of the force plates as
well as the easiest means of rearranging your force
plate array.
-
Warrantee - Other force plate manufacturers offer
only a one-year warrantee on the force plate and the
electronics. Bertec Corporation warrantees the
entire force plate system for seven years.
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Customization - At Bertec Corporation, we understand
that everyone’s research needs can be different. For
this reason, we offer the manufacturing of custom
force plates to meet your specific needs.
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Question 8:
What benefits do variable gain amplifiers provide?
Answer: Adjustable gain settings offer better resolution
for small changes in force measurements. If you will be
working with a wide variety of subjects and ranges of
forces, adjustable gains will increase the flexibility
of your system tremendously. See our
AM6504
and our
AM6800
for more information.
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Question 9:
Does Bertec Corporation make custom force plates?
Answer: YES! At Bertec Corporation, we have manufactured
force plates of all shapes and sizes for over 20 years.
Our expert engineers will be able to customize a force
plate to meet your specific needs. View some of our
past projects.
In addition to force plates, we
can also instrument most other objects to provide force
measurement readings. If you have forces that you would
like to measure but are unsure how to accomplish the
task, we invite you to
contact us to discuss the
possibilities.
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Question 10:
What is an Instrumented Treadmill?
Answer: The Bertec
Corporation
instrumented treadmill is actually two treadmills
mounted side-by-side creating one split-belt treadmill.
Each tread has its own 6-component force plate inside.
By maintaining the belt system as a closed loop system,
we are able to achieve full six-component measurements
just as you would get using a force plate.
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Question 11:
What are
the benefits of an Instrumented Treadmill?
Answer:
The instrumented treadmill eliminates the frustrating
necessity of repetition of tests to get clean foot
strikes. The use of the treadmill also allows for
statistical analysis of the gait cycle because large
numbers of strides can be captured in a very short time.
This analysis will show the variability of the gait
parameters. Also, traditional gait labs usually require
a large amount of space. The use of the treadmill
greatly reduces the lab space needed for gait analysis.
As such, the treadmill allows for a smaller motion
capture environment because the patient is not moving
across the floor. This can reduce the number of cameras
that are required as well as improve the accuracy of the
motion capture as the markers will rarely leave the
camera’s line of sight. This will result in less
expensive, more accurate, and more comprehensive gait
analysis.
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Question 12:
Is this the best price?
Answer: At Bertec Corporation
we strive to make sure that we have the highest quality,
yet least expensive equipment on the market. To ensure
that this is the case, we will match any competitor’s
price on comparable products.
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Still need more information?
At Bertec Corporation we pride ourselves on helping our
clients. If you have questions about our products or any
other questions pertaining to your lab or clinic, we are
here to help. Please
contact us or review the
need help section.
Bertec
- we truly are a MOVEMENT IN FORCE!!!
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