Biomimicry of Biceps Contraction on the Forearm

One of the most important and complex biological systems is muscle, which is a tissue synthesized by the body that has the ability to produce force and motion. Currently, there are two primary engineering applications based on the imitation of human movements: medical applications such as prosthetics and commercial applications such as exoskeletons and general robotics. A limitation in the field of biomimetics – where machines are designed to mimic biological systems to carry out tasks – is that many prosthetic designs are based on preexisting mechanical concepts that accomplish the intended function, but lack the fluidity and versatility of human-like movements. The overarching goal of this project is to develop a computational model and a semi-complex experimental prototype of the human arm doing a bicep curl, and to characterize the mechanical performance of the model under systematically applied load forces. Computational models based on published muscle physiology data were used to simulate length contraction of the muscle fiber as well as tension under different weights. A mechanical model was then designed and constructed to meet the criteria set forth by the computational model. This project has demonstrated the effectiveness of a very simplistic design of the sarcomere – the smallest unit of muscle tissue – being used to lift different amounts of weight. The long-term motivation of this project is to contribute to design improvements in neural prosthetics and hopefully contribute to making biomimetics more commonplace in research and development.