Experimental tests of a musculoskeletal model of the elbow joint for FES applications

Abstract

Computer model prediction of motions developed by functional electrical stimulation (FES) can be effective for clinical applications. The musculoskeletal model that responds to electrical stimulation is necessary for the model prediction. In this paper, a musculoskeletal model of the elbow joint was tested experimentally on a normal subject with surface electrode stimulation. In the musculoskeletal model, the musculotendon guide that reflects geometrical arrangement of muscles was adopted. Parameters in the muscle model were adapted to the subject based on the force measured under the isometric condition. The output of the tuned model agreed well with experimental results of the single muscle stimulation at high amplitude of stimulation and results of the simultaneous antagonistic stimulation in some stimulus conditions.