Generation of the Human Biped Stance by a Neural Controller Able to Compensate Neurological Time Delay

Ping Jiang; Ryosuke Chiba; Kaoru Takakusaki; Jun Ota

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0163212

Generation of the Human Biped Stance by a Neural Controller Able to Compensate Neurological Time Delay

PLoS One. 2016 Sep 21;11(9):e0163212. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163212. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Ping Jiang¹, Ryosuke Chiba², Kaoru Takakusaki², Jun Ota³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Precision Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
² Research Center for Brain Function and Medical Engineering, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
³ Research into Artifacts, Center for Engineering (RACE), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan.

Abstract

The development of a physiologically plausible computational model of a neural controller that can realize a human-like biped stance is important for a large number of potential applications, such as assisting device development and designing robotic control systems. In this paper, we develop a computational model of a neural controller that can maintain a musculoskeletal model in a standing position, while incorporating a 120-ms neurological time delay. Unlike previous studies that have used an inverted pendulum model, a musculoskeletal model with seven joints and 70 muscular-tendon actuators is adopted to represent the human anatomy. Our proposed neural controller is composed of both feed-forward and feedback controls. The feed-forward control corresponds to the constant activation input necessary for the musculoskeletal model to maintain a standing posture. This compensates for gravity and regulates stiffness. The developed neural controller model can replicate two salient features of the human biped stance: (1) physiologically plausible muscle activations for quiet standing; and (2) selection of a low active stiffness for low energy consumption.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas “Understanding brain plasticity on body representations to promote their adaptive functions” (Grant Number 26120006) and “Adaptive embodied-brain function due to alteration of the postural-locomotor synergies” (Grant Number 26120004). Website: http://embodied-brain.org/eng/about.