Join us January 27th for an OpenSim webinar lead by our director, Kat Steele.
Details
Title: Synergy-based Control in OpenSim: Coupled Muscle Activity in Static Optimization
Speakers: Kat Steele, University of Washington
Time: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
Registration: To register for this event, click HERE. (webinar is free, but registration is required)
Abstract
How humans control movement remains an open question. One theory suggests that muscles may be activated in weighted groups, commonly referred to as muscle synergies, modes, or modules. A small number of synergies have been shown to describe
muscle activity in both animals and humans during tasks such as walking and reaching; however, whether these synergies reflect underlying neural control or other constraints remains unclear. An advantage of musculoskeletal simulation is that we can specify and test different control strategies.
In this webinar, Dr. Steele will discuss an OpenSim plug-in that lets users couple the activation of multiple muscles in weighted groups through static optimization. She will demonstrate applications of this plug-in for evaluating synergy-based control and testing the impacts of variable muscle weightings on tibiofemoral contact forces.
More information about this work can be found within the publication“Consequences of biomechanically constrained tasks in the design and interpretation of synergy analyses.”