This paper presents a computational framework for the fast feedback control of musculoskeletal systems using muscle synergies. The proposed motor control framework has a hierarchical structure. A feedback controller at the higher level of hierarchy handles the trajectory planning and error compensation in the task space. This high-level task space controller only deals with the task-related kinematic variables, and thus is computationally efficient. The output of the task space controller is a force vector in the task space, which is fed to the low-level controller to be translated into muscle activity commands. Muscle synergies are employed to make this force-to-activation (F2A) mapping computationally efficient. The explicit relationship between the muscle synergies and task space forces allows for the fast estimation of muscle activations that result in the reference force. The synergy-enabled F2A mapping replaces a computationally heavy nonlinear optimization process by a vector decomposition problem that is solvable in real time. The estimation performance of the F2A mapping is evaluated by comparing the F2A-estimated muscle activities against the measured electromyography (EMG) data. The results show that the F2A algorithm can estimate the muscle activations using only the task-related kinematics/dynamics information with ∼70% accuracy. An example predictive simulation is also presented, and the results show that this feedback motor control framework can control arbitrary movements of a three-dimensional (3D) musculoskeletal arm model quickly and near optimally. It is two orders-of-magnitude faster than the optimal controller, with only 12% increase in muscle activities compared to the optimal. The developed motor control model can be used for real-time near-optimal predictive control of musculoskeletal system dynamics.
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March 2019
Research-Article
A Synergy-Based Motor Control Framework for the Fast Feedback Control of Musculoskeletal Systems
Reza Sharif Razavian,
Reza Sharif Razavian
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: rsharifr@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: rsharifr@uwaterloo.ca
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Borna Ghannadi,
Borna Ghannadi
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: bghannad@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: bghannad@uwaterloo.ca
Search for other works by this author on:
John McPhee
John McPhee
Fellow ASME
Professor
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: mcphee@uwaterloo.ca
Professor
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: mcphee@uwaterloo.ca
Search for other works by this author on:
Reza Sharif Razavian
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: rsharifr@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: rsharifr@uwaterloo.ca
Borna Ghannadi
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: bghannad@uwaterloo.ca
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: bghannad@uwaterloo.ca
John McPhee
Fellow ASME
Professor
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: mcphee@uwaterloo.ca
Professor
Systems Design Engineering,
University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
e-mail: mcphee@uwaterloo.ca
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received April 16, 2018; final manuscript received November 14, 2018; published online January 25, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Eric A. Kennedy.
J Biomech Eng. Mar 2019, 141(3): 031009 (12 pages)
Published Online: January 25, 2019
Article history
Received:
April 16, 2018
Revised:
November 14, 2018
Citation
Sharif Razavian, R., Ghannadi, B., and McPhee, J. (January 25, 2019). "A Synergy-Based Motor Control Framework for the Fast Feedback Control of Musculoskeletal Systems." ASME. J Biomech Eng. March 2019; 141(3): 031009. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4042185
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