Embodied task dynamics.

Area of Science:

• Movement science
• Speech motor control
• Computational linguistics

Background:

• Reconciling discrete behavioral goals with fluid motion is a key challenge in movement science.
• The task dynamic framework effectively models smooth, biologically plausible articulator movement from gestural primitives.
• Articulatory phonology uses gestural primitives as discrete goals in speech production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel variant of the task dynamic model.
• To incorporate embodied tasks tied to specific effectors.
• To enable parametric cost function optimization for gestural timing.

Main Methods:

• Developed an embodied task dynamic model variant.
• Defined a parametric cost function for optimization.
• Generated gestural scores with fully specified relative timing.

Main Results:

• Optimized movements were demonstrated to be phonetically plausible.
• Nuanced movement trajectories emerged from simple optimality criteria.
• The model successfully integrates discrete goals with fluid motion.

Conclusions:

• Embodied tasks and optimized cost functions provide a richer modeling foundation.
• This approach addresses a long-standing need in movement science and speech production.
• The framework offers a basis for future research in motor control and phonetics.