Motor Control of Human Arm Stiffness

描述（由申请人提供）：这项工作的重点是神经系统如何控制人类手臂僵硬-对施加位移的抵抗力。长期目标是了解如何将刚度控制集成到运动的持续控制中，以及如何在与环境的交互过程中以自适应的方式使用它。所有提出的研究都是为了理解刚度的自愿控制。这些研究从评估刚度控制的基本特性，扩展到研究刚度控制如何更普遍地参与运动的产生，以及评估刚度如何与环境相互作用的研究。在整个过程中，采用了一种通用的程序——使用机器人机械手向手臂传递精确的机械扰动。该研究将(1)记录刚度控制的基本特性。它将确定刚度控制的参考框架，评估刚度学习的持久性，并评估中央和反射对刚度贡献的平衡(2)这项工作将描述运动期间手臂刚度控制的特性。它将评估刚度和运动速度之间的关系，评估刚度控制在不同轨迹要求和最终精度的运动生产中的作用。它还将建立静态条件下测量的刚度与自主运动时的刚度之间的关系(3)研究还将建立与环境相互作用时刚度控制的特性。他们将评估当与具有不同惯性特性的物体相互作用时刚度被修改的方式，并确定当力施加于具有不同表面特性的物体时刚度模式被差异修改的程度。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This work focuses on how the nervous system controls human arm stiffness-the resistance to imposed displacements. The long-term goal is to understand how stiffness control is integrated into the ongoing control of movement and how it is used in an adaptive fashion during interactions with the environment. All of the proposed research is related by the common aim of understanding the voluntary control of stiffness. The studies extend from an assessment of basic properties of stiffness control, to studies that examine how stiffness control is more generally involved in the production of movements and to studies that assess how stiffness is used in interactions with the environment. A common procedure is adopted throughout-the use of a robotic manipulator to deliver precise mechanical perturbations to arm. The research will (1) document the basic properties of stiffness control. It will identify the frame of reference for stiffness control, evaluate the durability of stiffness learning, and assess the balance of central and reflex contributions to stiffness (2) The work will characterize the properties of arm stiffness control during movement. It will assess the relationship between stiffness and movement speed, evaluate the role of stiffness control in the production of movements that differ in terms of trajectory requirements and final accuracy. It will also establish the relationship between stiffness as measured under static conditions and stiffness during voluntary movement (3) The studies will also establish properties of stiffness control during interactions with the environment. They will assess the ways in which stiffness is modified when interacting with objects that have different inertial properties and determine the extent to which patterns of stiffness are differentially modified when forces are applied to objects with different surface properties.