Research on the co-contraction of shoulder and upper limb muscles in driver´s steering manoeuvre

Research on steering feel is an important subject in steering system design and vehicle handling and stability. The element of the driver, i.e. human factors, can´t be neglected in the research of steering feel. Taking human factors into consideration, the approaches to kinesiology were applied to the research on physiological functions in driver´s steering operation. Relevant measurement of driver´s steering operation was taken through electromyography experiment, and the existence of the phenomenon of the co-contraction of muscles was verified in steering operation. The co-contraction was evaluated and its significance in the research on vehicle research was discussed.