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This book provides a conceptual and computational framework to
study how the nervous system exploits the anatomical properties of
limbs to produce mechanical function. The study of the neural
control of limbs has historically emphasized the use of
optimization to find solutions to the muscle redundancy problem.
That is, how does the nervous system select a specific muscle
coordination pattern when the many muscles of a limb allow for
multiple solutions? I revisit this problem from the emerging
perspective of neuromechanics that emphasizes finding and
implementing families of feasible solutions, instead of a single
and unique optimal solution. Those families of feasible solutions
emerge naturally from the interactions among the feasible neural
commands, anatomy of the limb, and constraints of the task. Such
alternative perspective to the neural control of limb function is
not only biologically plausible, but sheds light on the most
central tenets and debates in the fields of neural control,
robotics, rehabilitation, and brain-body co-evolutionary
adaptations. This perspective developed from courses I taught to
engineers and life scientists at Cornell University and the
University of Southern California, and is made possible by
combining fundamental concepts from mechanics, anatomy,
mathematics, robotics and neuroscience with advances in the field
of computational geometry. Fundamentals of Neuromechanics is
intended for neuroscientists, roboticists, engineers, physicians,
evolutionary biologists, athletes, and physical and occupational
therapists seeking to advance their understanding of
neuromechanics. Therefore, the tone is decidedly pedagogical,
engaging, integrative, and practical to make it accessible to
people coming from a broad spectrum of disciplines. I attempt to
tread the line between making the mathematical exposition
accessible to life scientists, and convey the wonder and complexity
of neuroscience to engineers and computational scientists. While no
one approach can hope to definitively resolve the important
questions in these related fields, I hope to provide you with the
fundamental background and tools to allow you to contribute to the
emerging field of neuromechanics.
This book provides a conceptual and computational framework to
study how the nervous system exploits the anatomical properties of
limbs to produce mechanical function. The study of the neural
control of limbs has historically emphasized the use of
optimization to find solutions to the muscle redundancy problem.
That is, how does the nervous system select a specific muscle
coordination pattern when the many muscles of a limb allow for
multiple solutions? I revisit this problem from the emerging
perspective of neuromechanics that emphasizes finding and
implementing families of feasible solutions, instead of a single
and unique optimal solution. Those families of feasible solutions
emerge naturally from the interactions among the feasible neural
commands, anatomy of the limb, and constraints of the task. Such
alternative perspective to the neural control of limb function is
not only biologically plausible, but sheds light on the most
central tenets and debates in the fields of neural control,
robotics, rehabilitation, and brain-body co-evolutionary
adaptations. This perspective developed from courses I taught to
engineers and life scientists at Cornell University and the
University of Southern California, and is made possible by
combining fundamental concepts from mechanics, anatomy,
mathematics, robotics and neuroscience with advances in the field
of computational geometry. Fundamentals of Neuromechanics is
intended for neuroscientists, roboticists, engineers, physicians,
evolutionary biologists, athletes, and physical and occupational
therapists seeking to advance their understanding of
neuromechanics. Therefore, the tone is decidedly pedagogical,
engaging, integrative, and practical to make it accessible to
people coming from a broad spectrum of disciplines. I attempt to
tread the line between making the mathematical exposition
accessible to life scientists, and convey the wonder and complexity
of neuroscience to engineers and computational scientists. While no
one approach can hope to definitively resolve the important
questions in these related fields, I hope to provide you with the
fundamental background and tools to allow you to contribute to the
emerging field of neuromechanics.
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