A Dynamic Model of a Skydiver With Validation in Wind Tunnel and Free Fall

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive dynamic model and virtual reality simulation of skydiving, validated through wind tunnel and free fall experiments, enabling analysis of basic and advanced aerial maneuvers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integrated biomechanical, aerodynamic, and kinematic model for skydiving, validated with experimental data, and capable of reconstructing complex aerial maneuvers.

Findings

Model accurately predicts limb orientations and inertial body dynamics.

Experimental data used to tune and validate the simulation.

Reconstruction of advanced maneuvers demonstrates model's versatility.

Abstract

An innovative approach of gaining insight into motor skills involved in human body flight is proposed. The key idea is the creation of a model autonomous system capable of virtually performing skydiving maneuvers. A dynamic skydiver model and simulator is developed, comprising biomechanical, aerodynamic, and kinematic models, dynamic equations of motion, and a virtual reality environment. Limb relative orientations, and resulting inertial body angular position and velocity are measured in skydiving experiments in a vertical wind tunnel and in free fall. These experimental data are compared with corresponding simulation data to tune and verify the model for basic skydiving maneuvers. The model is further extended to reconstruct advanced aerial maneuvers, such as transitions between stable equilibria. The experimental data are used to estimate skydiver's conscious inputs as a function of time, via an Unscented Kalman Filter modified for this purpose.