Muscle forces prediction of the human hand and forearm system in highly realistic simulation

This paper deals with development of a highly realistic human hand and forearm model (HHF). The adopted model has to be as close as possible to the reality of the human being hand, to address several features, linked to manipulation tasks, grasping objects and daily routine movements like shaving, writing, etc. Also, in order to be realistic, the simulation of the movement is made in real-time; meaning, at the same rate as the natural HHF movement. In this paper we focus on the muscles forces determination for a given task. A relation between the muscles forces and the joints torques is established. The resulting forces, responsible of a dynamical movement of the HHF, are calculated by using an optimization method. The calculation is made during a real-time simulation. The results are discussed and interpreted on an example simulating a basic movement of the HHF. Limitations and further developments of the model are discussed.