Elbow joint model with active muscle force

Abstract

Voluntary and reflexive muscle activation of the human elbow joint is investigated by both subject tests and numerical simulations. A jerk loading is applied to extend the elbow joint with different muscle tensing and pre-recognition conditions. Inter- and Intra-subject variations of the hand displacement are analyzed for an objective assessment of the active response at the elbow joint to the external perturbation. A finite element elbow model is developed using passive kinematic joint elements and active torques which have PID (Proportional-integral-derivative) close loop control. The simulation result from this FE model is compared with test results and shows a good correlation.