MOTOR ADAPTATION DURING HUMAN LOCOMOTION

拟议的研究的总体目标是确定是否可以通过训练来修改人类运动的运动模式，并评估使用肌电控制的人工肌肉来辅助运动的可行性。 我们建议将轻质人工气动肌肉连接到健康人类受试者的小腿上，以表征人类神经系统如何适应新的肌肉骨骼力学。人造肌肉将通过小腿和脚上的带子从外部连接到腿上，并将由来自受试者肌肉的肌电信号控制。 我们将记录肌肉激活模式，关节运动学和关节动力学，以检查即时和长期的运动适应新的肌肉骨骼力学。 这些发现将提供对人类运动模式中可塑性的深入了解，并开始开发肌电控制的人工肌肉作为人类运动的辅助装置。

The general objectives of the proposed research are to determine if human locomotion motor patterns can be modified through training and to assess the feasibility of using myoelectrically controlled artificial muscles to assist locomotor movements. We propose to attach lightweight artificial pneumatic muscles to the lower legs of healthy human subjects to characterize how the human nervous system adapts to novel musculoskeletal mechanics. The artificial muscles will be attached to the legs externally via straps on the shank and foot and will be controlled by myoelectrical signals from the subjects' muscles. We will record muscle activation patterns, joint kinematics, and joint kinetics to examine both immediate and long-term motor adaptations to the novel musculoskeletal mechanics. The findings will provide insight into the amount of plasticity within the human locomotion motor pattern and begin to develop myoelectrically controlled artificial muscles as assistance devices for human locomotion.