Shinya Abe

My research area and topic

My primary research focuses on bone and injury biomechanics, particularly investigating mechanisms and prevention strategies for injuries like bone fractures, using Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) methods such as Finite Element (FE) analysis. Injuries such as fall-induced hip fractures or those from traffic accidents can be life-changing, often leading to permanent disability or even death. Preventing these injuries is crucial not only for individual well-being but also to alleviate socioeconomic burdens. Understanding injury mechanisms is essential to achieving this goal.

At Chalmers, my postdoctoral research is dedicated to investigating injury mechanisms in e-scooter accidents—such as falls and collisions with vehicles—and developing solutions to prevent injuries or reduce severity, using Human Body Models (HBM). Since the introduction of rentable e-scooters in 2017, the use of this micromobility option has increased significantly, driven by the widespread availability of e-scooter services. As a result, e-scooter-related injuries have surged, with riders often suffering from bone fractures to their extremities, face, and skull. These injuries often require long-term recovery and can lead to permanent disabilities. Addressing this issue is urgent due to the increasing socioeconomic burden caused by e-scooter accidents.

The outcome of this research is expected to contribute to public safety by investigating injury mechanisms and developing preventive measures. This work aims to improve e-scooter design, enhance rider safety, and influence the development of e-scooter-friendly infrastructure and policy. Such outcomes would reduce healthcare costs and benefit society as a whole.

Furthermore, I contribute to the further development of HBM, such as the open-source VIVA+ model and the SAFER HBM, using my expertise in bone and computational biomechanics.

My previous research

In my PhD research, I investigated how different sports and exercise loading histories affect hip (proximal femur) bone strength. The goal was to identify exercise types that could help reduce the risk of fall-induced hip fractures. To achieve this, I developed FE models of the proximal femur using a large dataset of female athletes from various sports.

So, what kind of exercise helps reduce your future risk of hip fractures?

Activities involving "Hop, Step, and Jump"—such as running, tennis, football, volleyball, basketball, and step aerobics—are excellent for strengthening the hip bones and lowering the risk of future fractures. The key is to choose exercises that involve ground impact, as they apply mechanical loading to the bones at a high loading rate, stimulating bone adaptation.

You can find more information about this research here