Since 2005, Dr. Rundell has investigated hundreds of accidents involving passenger vehicles, downed power lines, commercial vehicles, construction sites and equipment, recreational vehicles, workplaces, medical device failure, infant head injury, and slips/trips and falls. Currently, Dr. Rundell performs research related to the mechanical causation of spinal disc herniations, the use of virtual reality in forensic investigation, skull fractures, lower extremity forces generated during rear-end automobile collisions, and the likelihood of sustaining closed-head injury during a rear-end collision. His areas of expertise include collision reconstruction, biomechanical analysis, forensic visualization and mechanical failure analysis. He holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University.
Dr. Rundell has performed extensive research in the area of impact biomechanics at Michigan State University's Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories. This research was conducted under a joint appointment with the College of Engineering and the School of Osteopathic Medicine. Specifically, his research involved experiments to determine the response of soft tissues to blunt impact trauma in addition to gait analysis and footwear performance testing.
As a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering at Drexel University, Dr. Rundell's primary focus was on spine biomechanics and failure analysis. He developed, verified, and validated biomechanical computer models of the lumbar and cervical spines. These computer models were used in concert with retrieved spinal implants to improve the scientific community’s understanding of spinal biomechanics and implant performance. The results from this work have been presented to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve their understanding of spinal biomechanics, and is also being utilized in the development of a state-of-the-art engineering and test standard with theAmerican Society of Testing Materials (ASTM).
Most recently, Dr. Rundell has worked to develop Explico’s forensic visualization capabilities, which includes the ability to convert accident-related data into real-time 3D interactive experiences. Dr. Rundell and Explico have developed techniques to convert motion capture, photogrammetry, survey data, and LiDAR data into highly accurate, visually stunning, and interactive recreations. Dr. Rundell is a firm believer that effective communication and education of our clients, and eventually jurors, is much easier with immersive and interactive visualizations.
