Abstract

Wrist and forearm motion is governed both by its dynamics and the control strategies employed by the neuromuscular system to execute goal oriented movement. Two experiments were conducted to increase our understanding of wrist and forearm motion. The first experiment involved 10 healthy subjects executing planned movements to targets involving all three degrees of freedom (DOF) of the wrist and forearm, namely wrist flexion-extension (FE), wrist radial-ulnar deviation, and forearm pronation-supination (PS). A model of wrist and forearm dynamics was developed, and the recorded movements were fed into the model to analyze the movement torques. This resulted in the following key findings: 1) The main impedance torques affecting wrist and forearm movements are stiffness and gravity, with damping and inertial effects contributing roughly 10% of the total torque. 2) There is significant coupling between all degrees of freedom (DOF) of the wrist and forearm, with stiffness effects being the most coupled and inertial effects being the least coupled. 3) Neglecting these interaction torques results in significant error in the prediction of the torque required for wrist and forearm movements, suggesting that the neuromuscular system must account for coupling in movement planning. A second experiment was conducted in which 10 different healthy subjects pointed to targets arranged on a plane in front of the subjects. This pointing task required two DOF, but subjects were allowed to use all three DOF of the wrist and forearm. While subjects could have completed the task with FE and RUD alone, it was found that subjects recruited PS as well. Hypotheses regarding why subjects would recruit PS even though it was not necessary included the minimization of a number of cost functions (work, effort, potential energy, path length) as well as mechanical interaction between the DOF of the wrist and forearm. It was found that the pattern of PS recruitment predicted from the mechanical interaction hypothesis most closely resembled the observed pattern. According to this hypothesis, the neuromuscular system uses a simplified 2 DOF model of the joints most critical to the task (FE and RUD) to plan the task, while leaving the third DOF (PS) uncontrolled. The resulting interaction torques create the observed pattern of PS movement.

Degree

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

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