Calculation and visualization of the dynamic ability of the human body

There is a great demand for data on the mobility and strength capability of the human body in many areas, such as ergonomics, medical engineering, biomechanical engineering, computer graphics (CG) and virtual reality (VR). This paper proposes a new method that enables the calculation of the maximal force exertable and acceleration performable by a human body during arbitrary motion. A musculoskeletal model of the legs is used for the calculation. Using our algorithm, it is possible to evaluate whether a given posture or motion is a feasible one. A tool to visualize the calculated maximal feasibility of each posture is developed. The obtained results can be used as criteria of manipulability or strength capability of the human body, important in ergonomics and human animation. Since our model is muscle‐based, it is possible to simulate and visualize biomechanical effects such as fatigue and muscle training. The solution is based on linear programming and the results can be obtained in real time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一种基于相关向量机的股四头肌收缩力量估计方法研究

针对可穿戴设备及共融机器人中的力/力矩测量需求,提出了一种基于相关向量机的人体股四头肌收缩力量估计方法,该方法具备采集设备安装方便、鲁棒性强且宜人性好等优点。通过采集人体股四头肌主要肌肉的MMG信号,提取平均绝对值MAV、平均功率频率MPF、样本熵SampEn及2个不同通道MMG信号之间的相关系数CC2Cs四个特征,利用基于稀疏贝叶斯理论的相关向量机算法RVM构建了MMG-肌肉收缩力量模型,并验证了所提方法的有效性和准确度。结果表明,同一参与者的模型估计结果的均方根误差RMSE为8.7%MVC（最大肌肉随意收缩力）,决定系数R2为0.817,该方法是一种有效、适宜应用在可穿戴设备的人体股四头肌收缩力量估计方法。     

Bio-Inspired Actuation and Sensing

The superb ability of animals to negotiate rough terrain has caused engineers to focus on mechanical properties of muscle and other unique features in order to design improved robots for exploration. This paper reviews recent work in artificial muscle actuators, as well as a new sensor based on a robotic model of the muscle spindle cell. The actuator contains a pneumatic force generator in parallel with a non-linear damping element and in series with a non-linear elastic tendon. Work loop experiments were performed to characterize this actuator under conditions similar to real locomotion at different speeds. The robotic muscle spindle is an 8 × 1 cm device which simulates the response of the physiological muscle spindle to stretch. Its non-linear properties are thought to contribute to stable accurate control over a wide range of motion.     

Equilibrium point-based control of muscle-driven anthropomorphic legs reveals modularity of human motor control during pedalling

ABSTRACT

This study aims at shedding new light on the human motor control during forward and backward pedalling motions from a viewpoint of the mechanical impedance, determined by the coordinated activations of multiple pairs of agonist-antagonist muscles, called equilibrium point (EP)-based synergy. First, human movements and electromyograms as muscle activations during forward and backward pedalling motions were measured, and using our working model proposed earlier, they were analysed to obtain EP-based synergies, i.e. a set of synergy vectors and the corresponding time-courses of synergy activation coefficients associated with a virtual trajectory, for each pedalling direction. We showed the similarity in the EP-based synergies between forward and backward motions. We performed a robot experiment, where we used the EP-based synergies for the forward pedalling with their time-reversed synergy activation coefficients and a phase-shift in a coefficient for a specific synergy vector to actuate a robot of muscle-driven anthropomorphic legs for achieving a backward pedalling. Comparisons between the backward motion in the robot and that in human confirmed that they were mostly the same. Our results support our working model that the human motor control shares the common EP-based synergy and the associated mechanical impedance for controlling the forward and backward pedalling motions.     

A passive movement method for parameter estimation of a musculo-skeletal arm model incorporating a modified hill muscle model

In this paper we present an experimental method of parameterising the passive mechanical characteristics of the bicep and tricep muscles in vivo, by fitting the dynamics of a two muscle arm model incorporating anatomically meaningful and structurally identifiable modified Hill muscle models to measured elbow movements. Measurements of the passive flexion and extension of the elbow joint were obtained using 3D motion capture, from which the elbow angle trajectories were determined and used to obtain the spring constants and damping coefficients in the model through parameter estimation. Four healthy subjects were used in the experiments. Anatomical lengths and moment of inertia values of the subjects were determined by direct measurement and calculation. There was good reproducibility in the measured arm movement between trials, and similar joint angle trajectory characteristics were seen between subjects. Each subject had their own set of fitted parameter values determined and the results showed good agreement between measured and simulated data. The average fitted muscle parallel spring constant across all subjects was 143 N/m and the average fitted muscle parallel damping constant was 1.73 Ns/m. The passive movement method was proven to be successful, and can be applied to other joints in the human body, where muscles with similar actions are grouped together.     

Vertical vibration frequency and sitting posture effects on muscular loads and body balance

This study examined the effects of whole body vibration and sitting posture on muscular load, body balance and discomfort. An electric vibrator, a surface electromyography measurement system and a balance evaluation system were used in the experiment. Nine test conditions were studied consisting of three vertical frequencies (no vibration, 20 and 40 Hz) and three sitting postures (erect, bent-forward and twisted). Study results showed that whole body vibration had significant effects on the muscular loads in the torso muscles, body balance and perceived discomfort. Adverse effects generally increased with high-frequency vibration. No significant muscular load difference and balance difference were observed among sitting postures at any frequency. Significant discomfort differences between the erect and twisted postures were found with no vibration or at low frequency.Relevance to industryAttention should be paid to the negative effects of vibration transmission on the human body at worksites. The results from this study should be useful for whole body vibration risk assessment and control measures.     

Forward dynamics based realistic animation of rigid bodies

This paper presents a new methodology for model and control of the motion of an (articulated) rigid body for the purposes of animation. The technique uses a parameter optimization method for forward dynamic simulation to obtain a good set of values for the control variables of the system. We model articulated rigid bodies using a moderate number of control nodes, and we linearly interpolate control values between adjacent pairs of these nodes. The interpolated control values are used to determine the forces/torques for the body actuators. We can control total motion duration time, and the control is more flexible than in any other dynamics based animation techniques. We employ a parameter optimization, (or nonlinear programming) method to find a good set of values for the control nodes. We extend this method by using a musculotendon skeletal model for the human body instead of the more commonly used robot model to provide more accurate human motion simulations. Skeletal and musculotendon dynamics enable us to do the human body animation more accurately than ever because the muscle force depends on the geometry of a human as well as on differential kinematic parameters. We show various levels of motion control for forward dynamics animation: ranging from piecewise linear forces/torques control for joints to muscle activation signal control for muscles to generate highly nonlinear forces/torques. This spectrum of control levels provides various nonlinear resulting motions to animators to allow them to achieve effective motion control and physically realistic motion simultaneously. Because our algorithms are heavily dependent on parameter optimization, and since the optimization technique may have difficulty finding a global optimum, we provide a modified optimization method along with various techniques to reduce the search space size. Our parameter optimization based forward dynamic animation and musculotendon dynamics based animation present the first use of such techniques in animation research to date.     

System development of an artificial assistant suit

The artificial assistant suit is one which can be put on the human upper body and help human’s two arms act. It is actuated by the Mckibben pneumatic artificial muscle (simply call it as the Mckibben muscle). The whole system is introduced including both the artificial assistant suit itself and the support subsystem. The configuration of the Mckibben muscles is analyzed. The measurement and control system is discussed. The characteristics of the electropneumatic valve are analyzed. The detection method of the action intention of the human arms by SEMG signals is discussed too.     

基于人体肌肉力量的数据分析系统的设计

论文将计算机技术应用到运动生物力学的研究中,提出并实现了针对人体肌肉力量中握力、背力的实时数据采集与分析系统。系统采用运动生物力学测量装置精确采集肌肉力量的数据,利用数据库技术存储和处理测量的数据,图形化显示肌肉力量的变化曲线,计算人体肌肉力量的多种参数,对肌肉力量进行综合分析比较。文中着重介绍了系统结构、功能及软件实现。     

Influence of time of day and partial sleep loss on muscle strength in eumenorrheic females

Disrupted sleep is the most common form of sleep deprivation in travellers, shift workers, athletes the night before important competitions and among parents of infants. The influence of partial sleep loss on muscle strength might differ according to the time of testing on the following day. This study was therefore designed to assess the interaction between the effects of partial sleep loss and time of day on muscle strength in females. Eight sedentary eumenorrheic females (mean +/- SD; age 30 +/- 6 years, height 1.62 +/- 0.06 m and body mass 67 +/- 5.0 kg) took part in the study, in a counterbalanced design. Measurements of muscle strength were carried out at 06:00 and 18:00 hours after the one control night (no sleep loss) and the one night of partial sleep loss, during menses. Muscle strength measures included isokinetic (at 1.05, 3.14 rad s(-1); 90 degrees range of motion) and isometric peak torque (at 60 degrees of knee flexion) of knee extensors and flexors (dominant leg). In addition, isometric force of knee extensors with super-imposed electrical twitches (50 Hz, 250 V, 200 mus pulse width) was measured using the same procedure in order to control for motivation. Rectal temperature was measured during the 30 min before muscle strength measurements. Partial sleep loss consisted of allowing 2.5 h sleep (between 03:00 and 05:30 h), whilst in the control condition (no sleep loss) subjects retired between 22:30 and 23:30 h, rising at 05:30 hours. All measurements were conducted at just one phase of the menstrual cycle (menses) to prevent any masking effect due to different phases of the menstrual cycle. In both conditions (with and without partial sleep loss) a diurnal variation was observed in peak torque of knee flexors at 1.05 (F(1,7) = 5.5, p < 0.05) and 3.14 rad s(-1) (F(1,7) = 8.0, p < 0.05); values at 18:00 hours were 4.5 and 5.9% higher than at 06:00 hours, respectively. No significant diurnal variation was observed for the other muscle strength measures. No significant effect of partial sleep loss or interaction effect (sleep x time of day) was observed for muscle strength measures. However, the performance rhythms were in phase with the circadian rhythm in rectal temperature. Partial sleep deprivation over one night did not have any adverse effect on maximal muscle strength, nor on diurnal variations of muscle strength indices. As the effect of time of day was observed with some of the muscle strength measures, it is suggested that, in designing future studies using females, the control of time of day is essential.     

具有真实感的三维人脸动画

具有真实感的三维人脸模型的构造和动画是计算机图形学领域中一个重要的研究课题.如何在三维人脸模型上实时地模拟人脸的运动,产生具有真实感的人脸表情和动作,是其中的一个难点.提出一种实时的三维人脸动画方法,该方法将人脸模型划分成若干个运动相对独立的功能区,然后使用提出的基于加权狄里克利自由变形DFFD(Dirichlet free-form deformation)和刚体运动模拟的混合技术模拟功能区的运动.同时,通过交叉的运动控制点模拟功能区之间运动的相互影响.在该方法中,人脸模型的运动通过移动控制点来驱动.为了简化人脸模型的驱动,提出了基于MPEG-4中脸部动画参数FAP(facial animation parameters)流和基于肌肉模型的两种高层驱动方法.这两种方法不但具有较高的真实感,而且具有良好的计算性能,能实时模拟真实人脸的表情和动作.     

Enhanced teleoperation performance using hybrid control and virtual fixture

To develop secure, natural and effective teleoperation, the perception of the slave plays a key role for the interaction of a human operator with the environment. By sensing slave information, the human operator can choose the correct operation in a process during the human–robot interaction. This paper develops an integrated scheme based on a hybrid control and virtual fixture approach for the telerobot. The human operator can sense the slave interaction condition and adjust the master device via the surface electromyographic signal. This hybrid control method integrates the proportional-derivative control and the variable stiffness control, and involves the muscle activation at the same time. It is proposed to quantitatively analyse the human operator's control demand to enhance the control performance of the teleoperation system. In addition, due to unskilful operation and muscle physiological tremor of the human operator, a virtual fixture method is developed to ensure accuracy of operation and to reduce the operation pressure on the human operator. Experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method for the teleoperated robot.     

Interfering effects of the task demands of grip force and mental processing on isometric shoulder strength and muscle activity

The purpose of this study was to examine the interfering effects of physical and mental tasks on shoulder isometric strength in different postures. Fifteen volunteers (seven women, eight men) performed a series of isometric shoulder exertions at 30°, 60° and 90° of both shoulder flexion and abduction alone and with the addition of a 30% grip force, a mental task (Stroop test) and both additional tasks simultaneously. The shoulder tasks were completed either at maximal intensity, or while maintaining a shoulder posture without any additional effort. Surface electromyography (EMG) from seven muscles of the shoulder girdle and shoulder moment were collected for each 6 s shoulder exertion. When normalized to maximum exertion, no differences were found between genders and no differences existed between conditions when subjects maintained each posture without exerted force. In the maximal shoulder exertion trials, an increase in shoulder angle (in either plane) resulted in an increase in EMG in most muscles, while shoulder moment decreased in flexion and remained constant in abduction. Shoulder moments and muscle activation were greatest in the shoulder exertion alone condition followed by adding a 30% grip and the Stroop test, with the addition of both tasks further reducing the exerted shoulder moment and EMG. However, muscle activity did not always decrease with shoulder strength and remained elevated, indicating a complex coactivation pattern produced by an interfering role of the tasks. Overall, it was found that a mental task can have the same or greater effect as a concurrent grip and should be considered when assessing muscular loading in the workplace, as typical biomechanical modelling may underestimate internal loads. The results not only provide valuable shoulder strength data but also practical strength values, depending on additional tasks.     

结合卷积神经网络与曲线拟合的人体尺寸测量

目的 人体尺寸测量是服装制作中的一个重要环节。非接触式人体测量具有效率高、方便快捷的优点,但存在测量精准度较低、对设备和外界环境要求高等问题。为进一步改进这些问题,本文基于卷积神经网络建立模型,相继提出人体分割和关键点检测的方法、基于Bezier曲线的人体肩宽测量方法和基于双椭圆拟合的人体围度测量方法。方法 通过摄像头获取人体的正面、侧面及背面图像;利用Deeplabv3+算法对人体图像进行分割获得人体轮廓,利用Open Pose算法对人体关键点进行检测及定位,利用肩部端点处的角度特征并结合人体肩部关节点信息确定肩部端点,利用肩部曲线与Bezier曲线的相似性通过计算肩部Bezier曲线的长度得到肩宽,通过关键点信息确定胸围、腰围及臀围的宽度和厚度,并建立围度曲线的双椭圆拟合模型,采用线性回归法训练得到拟合模型中的参数,最后利用双椭圆拟合曲线的周长得到人体围度。结果 根据本文方法对100位被测者进行肩宽计算,对132位被测者进行人体围度计算,平均绝对误差均在3 cm以内,符合国家测量标准,且整套方法操作方便,结果稳定。结论 实验验证了本文方法在人体尺寸测量中的精度,降低了非接触式人体测...     

Extraction and implementation of muscle synergies in neuro-mechanical control of upper limb movement

This work faces the redundancy problem, a central concern in robotics, in a particular force-producing task by using muscle synergies to simplify the control. We extracted muscle synergies from human electromyograph signals and interpreted the physical meaning of the identified muscle synergies. Based on the human analysis results, we hypothesized a novel control framework that can explain the mechanism of the human motor control. The framework was tested in controlling a pneumatic-driven robotic arm to perform a reaching task. This control method, which uses only two synergies as manipulated variables for driving antagonistic pneumatic artificial muscles to generate desired movements, would be useful to deal with the redundancy problem; thus, suggesting a simple but efficient control for human-like robots to work safely and compliantly with humans.     

Biomechanical analysis of materials handling manipulators in short distance transfers of moderate mass objects: joint strength,spine forces and muscular antagonism

Although often suggested as a control measure to alleviate musculoskeletal stresses, the use of mechanical assistance devices (i.e. manipulators) in load transfers has not been extensively studied. Without data describing the biomechanical effects of such devices, justification for decisions regarding implementation of such tools is difficult. An experimental study of two types of mechanical manipulators (articulated arm and overhead hoist) was conducted to determine whether biomechanical stresses, and hence injury risk, would be alleviated. Short distance transfers of loads with moderate mass were performed both manually and with manipulator assistance under a variety of task conditions. Using analysis and output from new dynamic torso models, strength demands at the shoulders and low back, lumbar spine forces, and lumbar muscle antagonism were determined. Strength requirements decreased significantly at both the shoulders and low back when using either manipulator in comparison with similar transfers performed manually. Peak spine compression and anteriorposterior (a-p) shear forces were reduced by about 40% on average, and these reductions were shown to be primarily caused by decreases in hand forces and resultant spinal moments. Two metrics of muscular antagonism were defined, and analysis showed that torso muscle antagonism was largest overall when using the hoist. The results overall suggest that hoist-assisted transfers, although better in reducing spine compression forces, may impose relatively higher demands on coordination and/or stability at extreme heights or with torso twisting motions. The relatively higher strength requirements and spine compression associated with the articulated arm may be a result of the high inertia of the system. Potential benefits of practice and training are discussed, and conclusions regarding implementation of mechanical manipulators are given.     

Action recognition from only somatosensory information using spectral learning in a hidden Markov model

Human action classification is fundamental technology for robots that have to interpret a human’s intended actions and make appropriate responses, as they will have to do if they are to be integrated into our daily lives. Improved measurement of human motion, using an optical motion capture system or a depth sensor, allows robots to recognize human actions from superficial motion data, such as camera images containing human actions or positions of human bodies. But existing technology for motion recognition does not handle the contact force that always exists between the human and the environment that the human is acting upon. More specifically, humans perform feasible actions by controlling not only their posture but also the contact forces. Furthermore these contact forces require appropriate muscle tensions in the full body. These muscle tensions or activities are expected to be useful for robots observing human actions to estimate the human’s somatosensory states and consequently understand the intended action. This paper proposes a novel approach to classifying human actions using only the activities of all the muscles in the human body. Continuous spatio-temporal data of the activity of an individual muscle is encoded into a discrete hidden Markov model (HMM), and the set of HMMs for all the muscles forms a classifier for the specific action. Our classifiers were tested on muscle activities estimated from captured human motions, electromyography data, and reaction forces. The results demonstrate their superiority over commonly used HMM-based classifiers.     

Biomechanical analysis of materials handling manipulators in short distance transfers of moderate mass objects: joint strength, spine forces and muscular antagonism

Although often suggested as a control measure to alleviate musculoskeletal stresses, the use of mechanical assistance devices (i.e. manipulators) in load transfers has not been extensively studied. Without data describing the biomechanical effects of such devices, justification for decisions regarding implementation of such tools is difficult. An experimental study of two types of mechanical manipulators (articulated arm and overhead hoist) was conducted to determine whether biomechanical stresses, and hence injury risk, would be alleviated. Short distance transfers of loads with moderate mass were performed both manually and with manipulator assistance under a variety of task conditions. Using analysis and output from new dynamic torso models, strength demands at the shoulders and low back, lumbar spine forces, and lumbar muscle antagonism were determined. Strength requirements decreased significantly at both the shoulders and low back when using either manipulator in comparison with similar transfers performed manually. Peak spine compression and anterior-posterior (a-p) shear forces were reduced by about 40% on average, and these reductions were shown to be primarily caused by decreases in hand forces and resultant spinal moments. Two metrics of muscular antagonism were defined, and analysis showed that torso muscle antagonism was largest overall when using the hoist. The results overall suggest that hoist-assisted transfers, although better in reducing spine compression forces, may impose relatively higher demands on coordination and/or stability at extreme heights or with torso twisting motions. The relatively higher strength requirements and spine compression associated with the articulated arm may be a result of the high inertia of the system. Potential benefits of practice and training are discussed, and conclusions regarding implementation of mechanical manipulators are given.