Biomechanics of Rowing. II. A Control Model for the Simulation Study of Rowing and Other Human Movement.

Abstract

A new control model for the study of biomechanical simulation of human movement was investigated using rowing as an example. The objectives were to explore biological and mechanical alternatives to optimal control methods. The simulation methods included simple control mechanisms based on proportional and derivative (PD) control, consideration of a simple neural model, introduction of an inverse dynamics system for feedback, and computational adjustment of control parameters by using an evaluative criterion and optimization method. By using simulation, appropriate rowing motions were synthesized. The generated rowing motion was periodic, continuous, and adaptable so that the pattern was stable against the mechanical force and independent of the initial condition. We believe that the simulation model is not only practical as a computational research tool from a biomechanical-engineering viewpoint but also significant from the point of view of fundamental biological theories of movement.