A Biomechanical Model of the Partially Paralyzed Human Arm

A biomechanical model of a partially paralyzed human arm has been developed to aid in analysis of FES controllers for reaching in quadriplegia. The model represents an average adult arm and is based on data from cadaver measurements reported in the literature. Particular emphasis has been placed on the accuracy of parameters that are important for control, including the moment arms for muscles that act on multiple degrees of freedom and the range of sarcomere lengths over which each muscle operates. Sharing and upgrading the model are facilitated by the use of popular modeling and simulation environments. The model is currently being used to design FES controllers for point-to-point reaching and arm posture maintenance in quadriplegia.