Backstepping Control of Muscle Driven Systems with Redundancy Resolution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel feedback control method for muscle-driven human models with redundancy resolution, enabling accurate simulation of arm movements for applications in HMI and rehabilitation.

Contribution

It presents a new control approach for trajectory tracking in muscle-driven systems with redundancy, filling a gap in simulation capabilities for human dynamic models.

Findings

Successful simulation of shoulder movement with muscle activation

Accurate modeling of musculoskeletal dynamics

Effective redundancy resolution in control

Abstract

Due to the several applications on Human-machine interaction (HMI), this area of research has become one of the most popular in recent years. This is the case for instance of advanced training machines, robots for rehabilitation, robotic surgeries and prosthesis. In order to ensure desirable performances, simulations are recommended before real-time experiments. These simulations have not been a problem in HMI on the side of the machine. However, the lack of controllers for human dynamic models suggests the existence of a gap for performing simulations for the human side. This paper offers to fulfill the previous gap by introducing a novel method based on a feedback controller for the dynamics of muscle-driven systems. The approach has been developed for trajectory tracking of systems with redundancy muscle resolution. To illustrate the validation of the method, a shoulder model actuated by a group of eight linkages, eight muscles and three degrees of freedom was used. The controller objective is to move the arm from a static position to another one through muscular activation. The results on this paper show the achievement of the arm movement, musculoskeletal dynamics and muscle activations.