Webinar: Synergy-based Control in OpenSim

QuantifyControlJoin 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.”

The EMG team visits a lab in Rehabilitation Medicine

Our electromyography (EMG) team of researchers learned about arm anatomy while on a visit to Rehabilitation Medicine. Destiny Mora, Henry Ong, and Khalil Somanik collaborate on the long-term collection of EMG for their research within the Ability and Innovation Lab. They focused on the insertion and origin of muscles used in their research and examined placement locations for electrodes. Gaurav Mukherjee, who is working on active upper-extremity exoskeletons, learned about musculotendon structures within the hand.File Dec 17, 4 16 01 PM

Congratulations to Bradley Wachter and Michael MacConnell on being named Mary Gates Scholars

 

Michael and Bradley, both undergraduate researchers in the Ability and Innovation Lab, have individually earned the title of Mary Gates Scholars. The Mary Gates Research Scholarship is highly competitive and allows students to focus more attention and time on their research projects while being supported financially for two quarters. Michael will continue working on the ankle foot orthosis (AFO) project which utilizes motion tracking, ultrasound, and finite element analysis to find the optimal stiffness. Bradley will be developing a low-cost, open source orthosis to improve mobility for individuals with impaired hand function.  Congratulations to you both!


Michael_non squareBradley