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Session 1309

Biomechanical Model-Based Control of a Human Leg: An Interactive Educational Module

Mounir Ben Ghalia, Hormoz Zarnani, Joshua Ceaser

Electrical Engineering Department The University of Texas-Pan American Edinburg, TX 78539 U.S.A.

1 Introduction

A first challenge for students taking a control systems course is to draw a block diagram to represent a control process. One of the main difficulties of this task is identifying the actuating signals and the response (output) signals. Control applications discussed in a typical undergraduate control system course or those that can be found in control systems textbooks deal with man-made systems and processes, such as cruise control for an automobile, DC motors, vehicle suspension systems, inverted pendulum, etc [1-3]. The intention of the authors was to introduce students to a biological control application consisting of the modeling and control of a human leg. The objective of the study undertaken by the authors was to develop students’ understanding of the neuromuscular skeletal system from a control systems perspective using a simplified computer model of the human leg [4].

Specifically, the study aims at:

(i) Introducing students to forward and inverse kinematics via the aid of graphical user interface and real-time animations; (ii) Implementing a computer simulation model of the human leg using a MATLAB/SIMULINK interface; (iii) Developing interactive tools for the students to study the human leg model and how to control it.

The study emphasizes computer simulations and visualization. The instructional materials developed in this study have great potential of being inexpensively disseminated through commercial publishers. Since one of the main objectives of this study is to expose pre- college students to bioengineering, the developed educational materials have different This work was supported in part by the Engineering Research Centers Program of the National Science Foundation under Award Number EEC-9876363 and by a grant from the University of Texas System

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

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Ben Ghalia, M. (2003, June), Biomechanical Model Based Control Of A Human Leg: An Interactive Educational Module Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12253