研究実績の概要 |
By constructing and experiments on a musuloskeletal robot, I investigated the effects of spinal stretch reflex and crossed inhibitory response in hopping.Sensors (pressure sensors to measure the force of muscles, gyro sensors to measure the body balance) were developed and equipped to measure the robot behavior. The results showed that the both neural networks contribute to the balance during hopping. This research improves the understanding of neural networks, and can help developing recovery strategies for patients with spinal cord injury. Moreover, I wrote papers on this study and published on ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE (IF=3.6)
I also investigated the effect of the foot windlass mechanism. First, I developed a musculoskeletal robot and robotic feet with windlass mechanism (this mimic the foot musculoskeletal structure of human). To evaluate the effect of such mechanism, I developed and equipped sensors to measure the performance, including the angle of joints, tension of the muscles, and the jumping height. Jumping experiments were implemented to test the effects. The results show that the foot windlass mechanism can increase the force output of muscles in legs, and increase the height of jumping. This study can help understanding the bio-mechanism and evolution of human.
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