3D volumetric muscle modeling for real-time deformation analysis with FEM

Computer simulation is promising numerical tool to study muscle volumetric deformations. However, most models are facing very long computation time and thus are based on simplified wire Hill muscle model. The purpose of this study is to develop a real-time three-dimensional biomechanical model of volumetric muscle based on modified Hill model for the active stress which is controlled from EMG recordings. Finite element model is used to estimate the passive behavior of the muscle and tendons during contraction. We demonstrate that this 3D model implementation is very cost effective with respect to the computation time and the simulation gives good results compared to real measured data. Thus, this effective implementation will allow implementing much more complex and realistic models considering the muscle as volumetric continuum, with moderate computation time.