Muscle Strength Simulations Using the Articulated Total Body Model

Further developments are presented on a dynamic three–dimensional strength model that may be useful for evaluating musculoskeletal stresses incurred during manual materials handling tasks. The model being developed is a modification of the Articulated Total Body (ATB) Model originally developed by Calspan Corp. for the study of human body dynamics during automobile crashes. Refinements were introduced by Freivalds and Kaleps (1984) to account for a human neuromusculature. Further refinements now include orderly recruitment patterns, differential motor units, active state function and fatigue. Simulations of squat lifting and level running were performed with the ATB Model. Both of these cases indicate the potential of a muscularized three–dimensional biomechanical model to simulate human responses in a variety of conditions.