Active muscle response using feedback control of a finite element human arm model

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational modeling
• Automotive safety engineering

Background:

• Mathematical human body models (HBMs) are vital for studying human responses in vehicle crashes.
• Advanced automotive safety systems require active muscle response simulation in HBMs for pre-crash interactions.
• Current HBMs often lack sophisticated active muscle response capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement active muscle response in a finite element (FE) HBM.
• To validate the model's ability to simulate posture maintenance and reflexive actions.
• To enhance the realism of HBMs for automotive safety research.

Main Methods:

• Developed a nonlinear muscle model with Hill-type line elements for the right upper extremity.
• Implemented feedback control for active muscle response within the FE HBM.
• Validated the model through simulations of posture maintenance and volunteer tests with low-impact elbow flexion.

Main Results:

• Successfully implemented active muscle response in the FE HBM.
• Simulations accurately replicated posture maintenance in a gravity field.
• Model demonstrated human-like reflexive responses during simulated low-impact elbow flexion tests.

Conclusions:

• Feedback control of nonlinear musculoskeletal models is effective for FE HBMs.
• This approach enables realistic simulation of posture maintenance and reflexive responses.
• The developed model advances the capability of HBMs for automotive safety system development.