Characterization of human joint impedance during impulsive motion

The objective of the present work is to make use of the limited existing information on human joint impedance and to supplement and refine it synthetically, by means of simulation. A modular concept was applied to the construction of a joint model. The basic module was an individual revolute joint which was constrained by four resistive elements. The module was adapted to represent the different anatomical joints by specifying their corresponding mechanical parameters. The modular joint model was tested by incorporating it into a two dimensional whole body model and subjecting it to known impulsive conditions such as those reported in literature with regard to vehicular collision. Fine tuning was done by examining the sensitivity of the human model kinematic response to variation of the joint parameters. The whole body model was simulated with the aid of the ADAMS computer code. A comparison of the existing experimental data related to the sled test performed on a Hybrid III dummy with synthetic collision results showed good agreement.