Finite element-based machine learning method to predict breast displacement during running

Abstract

This paper presents an effective method to simulate the dynamic deformation of the breasts when a sports bra is worn during physical activity. A subject-specific finite element (FE) model of a female subject is established, and the accuracy of the material coefficients of the model is analyzed. An FE model of the sports bra is also built based on a commercially-available compression sports bra with a vest style. Then, an FE contact model between the body and bra is developed and validated, and the results applied to train a neural network model for predicting breast displacement based on bra straps with different tensile moduli. In this study, a four-layer neural network with a backpropagation algorithm (a Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm) is used. A comparison of the FE and machine learning results shows that machine learning can well predict the dynamic displacement of the breasts in a more time-efficient and convenient manner.