Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement

A model of the human arm was developed to study coordination of multi-joint movement in the vertical plane. The arm was represented as a two-segment, two-degree of freedom dynamic system with net muscle torques acting at the shoulder and elbow. Kinematic data were collected from a subject who perfor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ajay Seth, John J. McPhee, Marcus G. Pandy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2003-01-01
Series:Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ABB-2003-9693531
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849413894789922816
author Ajay Seth
John J. McPhee
Marcus G. Pandy
author_facet Ajay Seth
John J. McPhee
Marcus G. Pandy
author_sort Ajay Seth
collection DOAJ
description A model of the human arm was developed to study coordination of multi-joint movement in the vertical plane. The arm was represented as a two-segment, two-degree of freedom dynamic system with net muscle torques acting at the shoulder and elbow. Kinematic data were collected from a subject who performed unrestrained vertical movements with only the initial and final hand elevations prescribed. Movements were performed with and without a hand-held load. The method of computed torques was implemented to obtain net muscle torques, which enables position and velocity feedback to be used to estimate joint angular accelerations that produce a more stable simulation of arm movement. The model simulation was then used to calculate the contributions of the net muscle torques, gravitational torques and velocity-interaction torques to the angular accelerations of the shoulder and elbow and also to the vertical acceleration of the hand. The net muscle torques and gravity were the prime movers of the arm. The velocity-dependent effects contributed little to the dynamics of arm movement and were, in fact, insignificant when the hand was loaded. The muscles of the shoulder and elbow acted synergistically to elevate the arm in the sagittal plane. The hand was accelerated upward by the elbow first, until the point of maximum elbow flexion, after which the shoulder became the prime mover. Gravity acted consistently to accelerate the hand downward. Coordination was notably invariant to changes in external load. Some compensation for load was observed in the control, and these differences were attributed mainly to an increase in system inertia.
format Article
id doaj-art-6feaec109851434a8277b633df5aef1e
institution Kabale University
issn 1176-2322
1754-2103
language English
publishDate 2003-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
spelling doaj-art-6feaec109851434a8277b633df5aef1e2025-08-20T03:34:00ZengWileyApplied Bionics and Biomechanics1176-23221754-21032003-01-0111455610.3233/ABB-2003-9693531Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm MovementAjay Seth0John J. McPhee1Marcus G. Pandy2Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USADepartment of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USAA model of the human arm was developed to study coordination of multi-joint movement in the vertical plane. The arm was represented as a two-segment, two-degree of freedom dynamic system with net muscle torques acting at the shoulder and elbow. Kinematic data were collected from a subject who performed unrestrained vertical movements with only the initial and final hand elevations prescribed. Movements were performed with and without a hand-held load. The method of computed torques was implemented to obtain net muscle torques, which enables position and velocity feedback to be used to estimate joint angular accelerations that produce a more stable simulation of arm movement. The model simulation was then used to calculate the contributions of the net muscle torques, gravitational torques and velocity-interaction torques to the angular accelerations of the shoulder and elbow and also to the vertical acceleration of the hand. The net muscle torques and gravity were the prime movers of the arm. The velocity-dependent effects contributed little to the dynamics of arm movement and were, in fact, insignificant when the hand was loaded. The muscles of the shoulder and elbow acted synergistically to elevate the arm in the sagittal plane. The hand was accelerated upward by the elbow first, until the point of maximum elbow flexion, after which the shoulder became the prime mover. Gravity acted consistently to accelerate the hand downward. Coordination was notably invariant to changes in external load. Some compensation for load was observed in the control, and these differences were attributed mainly to an increase in system inertia.http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ABB-2003-9693531
spellingShingle Ajay Seth
John J. McPhee
Marcus G. Pandy
Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
title Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
title_full Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
title_fullStr Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
title_full_unstemmed Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
title_short Multi-Joint Coordination of Vertical Arm Movement
title_sort multi joint coordination of vertical arm movement
url http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ABB-2003-9693531
work_keys_str_mv AT ajayseth multijointcoordinationofverticalarmmovement
AT johnjmcphee multijointcoordinationofverticalarmmovement
AT marcusgpandy multijointcoordinationofverticalarmmovement