Anthropomorphic Movement Analysis and Synthesis: A Survey of Methods and Applications

The anthropomorphic body form is a complex articulated system of links/limbs and joints, simultaneously redundant and underactuated, and capable of a wide range of sophisticated movement. The human body and its movement have long been a topic of study in physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, and neuroscience and have served as inspiration for humanoid robot design and control. This survey paper reviews the literature on robotics research using anthropomorphic design principles as an inspiration, at both the design and control levels. Next, anthropomorphic body modeling, motion analysis, and synthesis techniques are overviewed. Finally, key applications arising at the intersection of robotics and human movement science are introduced. The survey ends with a discussion of open research questions and directions for future work.