GROUND REACTION FORCE ESTIMATION USING MUSCULOSKELETAL SIMULATION

Abstract

There are many situations in sports when external forces such as ground reaction force are unobtainable. Musculoskeletal kinetics including joint moments can be calculated when all external force information including ground reaction force are provided. In this study, we developed a simulation method that can predict the center of pressure on the foot and the ground reaction force from kinematics data utilizing artificial muscles between the foot and ground. The artificial muscles on the foot were activated when the distance between a foot node and a ground node is smaller than a pre-definded value. In this study we demonstrated the predictions of ground reaction force and center of pressure on the foot during normal walking. The results were validated against the measured values from a force plate.