Simplified and effective motor control based on muscle synergies to exploit musculoskeletal dynamics.

ABSTRACT: The basic hypothesis of producing a range of behaviors using a small set of motor commands has been proposed in various forms to explain motor behaviors ranging from basic reflexes to complex voluntary movements. Yet many fundamental questions regarding this long-standing hypothesis remain unanswered. Indeed, given the prominent nonlinearities and high dimensionality inherent in the control of biological limbs, the basic feasibility of a low-dimensional controller and an underlying principle for its creation has remained elusive. We propose a principle for the design of such a controller, that it endeavors to control the natural dynamics of the limb, taking into account the nature of the task being performed. Using this principle, we obtained a low-dimensional model of the hindlimb and a s

SUBMITTER: Berniker M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2678607 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature