A comparison of motor control characteristics of the dominant and non-dominant arms in response to assistive force during unilateral task

Wang, Yuanyuan; Choi, Jeewon; Loh, Ping Yeap; Muraki, Satoshi

doi:10.3233/ies-193165

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…In light of the similar muscular responses at these bilateral interchangeable assistances, the similar muscular adjustment strategy adopted by both arms might have enabled them to overcome the differences (i.e., different external forces) between the two arms and to perform the force-matching tasks with similar accuracies. Furthermore, in an earlier study [ 31 ], we found that the non-dominant arm could maintain a force with a higher accuracy during assisted unilateral movements. However, no such advantage for the non-dominant arm was observed in the bilateral movements.…”

Section: Discussion Of the Overall Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Motor control characteristics of upper limbs in response to assistive forces during bilateral tasks

2021

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Most research on power assist suits (PASs) that concerned PAS-human interactions has used human physical reactions as criteria to evaluate the mechanical function, however, with minimal emphasis on human reactions in response to PASs. In this study, we focused on the physiological responses of the upper limbs including muscle activity of the biceps brachii and the triceps brachii, co-activation, force steadiness (CV) and rated perceived exertion (RPE) to various patterns of bilateral assistive force, such as unilateral assistance (L0% & R67% [% = percentage of workload force, L = left arm, R = right arm], L67% & R0%, L0% & R33%, L33% & R0%), symmetrical (L0% & R0%, L33% & R33%, L67% & R67%) and asymmetrical bilateral assistance (L33% & R67%, L67% & R33%), during bilateral isometric force-matching tasks. The results showed a similar muscular response of the two arms to bilateral assistive conditions, and the muscle activity of the arm that was being observed decreased only when the assistive force that applied on itself increased, indicating that both arms may have adopted similar but independent motor control mechanisms to acclimate to the bilateral assistive forces. Comparison between the two unilateral assistances (L0% & R33% and L33% & R0%) and the two asymmetrical bilateral assistances (L33% & R67%, L67% & R33%) showed no significant differences in muscular responses, CV and RPE, indicating that bilateral assistances with bilateral interchanged assistive levels may be equally effective regardless of which arm the higher assistive force is applied to. Comparison between unilateral and symmetrical assistive conditions that have similar overall workloads (L67% & R0%, L33% & R33%, L0% & R67%) showed a lower CV and RPE score at symmetrical assistance compared with unilateral assistance, suggesting that assisting both arms with the same level simultaneously improves task performances compared with applying the assistive force to only one arm.

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Section: Discussion Of the Overall Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Motor control characteristics of upper limbs in response to assistive forces during bilateral tasks

2021

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Motor performance patterns between unilateral mechanical assistance and bilateral muscle contraction

Choi

Yeoh

Loh

et al. 2020

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

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Motor Characteristics of Human Adaptations to External Assistive Forces

Yeoh

Choi

Loh

et al. 2023

J. Robot. Mechatron.

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Technology advancement has enabled the development of robotic exoskeletons that are portable, powerful, and sufficiently smart to be of practical use in the real world. These devices provide partial assistive forces that increase their user’s physical strength to better meet the demands of everyday life and have potential applications in various settings. Examples include helping older adults maintain their independence and preventing musculoskeletal injuries among factory workers. Although great strides have been made to improve the performance and usability of these devices, human characteristics and the way humans adapt to the external assistive forces from these devices are rarely explicitly considered in their development. A common assumption is that if the provided assistive forces are aligned with the intent of users, users can easily “switch off” their muscles and effectively utilize this assistive force. In this review, we demonstrate that human adaptations to external assistive forces can lead to inefficiencies or conflicts that decrease the effectiveness of robotic exoskeletons. We then discuss the motor characteristics of human adaptations to external assistive forces.

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A comparison of motor control characteristics of the dominant and non-dominant arms in response to assistive force during unilateral task

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

Motor control characteristics of upper limbs in response to assistive forces during bilateral tasks

Motor control characteristics of upper limbs in response to assistive forces during bilateral tasks

Motor performance patterns between unilateral mechanical assistance and bilateral muscle contraction

Motor Characteristics of Human Adaptations to External Assistive Forces

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