Feasibility Theory Reconciles and Informs Alternative Approaches to Neuromuscular Control
Open access
Date
2018-09-11Type
- Journal Article
Abstract
We present Feasibility Theory, a conceptual and computational framework to unify today's theories of neuromuscular control. We begin by describing how the musculoskeletal anatomy of the limb, the need to control individual tendons, and the physics of a motor task uniquely specify the family of all valid muscle activations that accomplish it (its ‘feasible activation space'). For our example of producing static force with a finger driven by seven muscles, computational geometry characterizes—in a complete way—the structure of feasible activation spaces as 3-dimensional polytopes embedded in 7-D. The feasible activation space for a given task is the landscape where all neuromuscular learning, control, and performance must occur. This approach unifies current theories of neuromuscular control because the structure of feasible activation spaces can be separately approximated as either low-dimensional basis functions (synergies), high-dimensional joint probability distributions (Bayesian priors), or fitness landscapes (to optimize cost functions). Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000293155Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Frontiers in Computational NeuroscienceVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Frontiers MediaSubject
feasibility; neuromechanics; motor control; tendon-driven; dimensionality; synergies; optimization; forcesOrganisational unit
03457 - Welzl, Emo (emeritus) / Welzl, Emo (emeritus)
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