vytas sunspiral carnegie mellon west nasa ames

1Vytas SunSpiral

The Role of Connective Tissue and Tensegrity in Enabling a Hybrid Distributed/Centralized Control Scheme for Complex Coordinated

Human Motion

Vytas SunSpiral

Carnegie Mellon

West

NASA Ames

2Vytas SunSpiral

Manipulating the Environment

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Spinal Posture Reflex

Animals Can Stand with Spinal Cord Severed !!!

Brain Stem Includes Inner Ear

If Brain Stem Included,

Can stand on tilting table and will resist being pushed

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

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Fascia

- Extracellular

- Continuous

- Surrounds Bone and Muscle

- Ligaments, Tendons, Aponeurosis

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Connective TissueThree Views of the Knee

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Connective TissueThree Views of the Knee

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Connective TissueThree Views of the Knee

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History of Study of Connective Tissue

Kinesis Myofascial

Integration

Oct. 2007, Harvard Medical School

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Force Propagation

- Force transmission across lumbar fascia

- Proprioceptive sensors concentrated

@ muscle/fascia boundary

- Extramuscular force transmission

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The Harness

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Anatomy Trains

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Many Muscles Act Directly on Harness

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

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Tensegrity

First explored by Kennith Snelson in 1960’s

Named by Buckminster Fuller: “Tension” +

“Structural Integrity”

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Compression and Tension

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Properties of Tensegrities

- Force Distribution

- Controllable Stiffness

- No lever

- Low potential energy change to move.

- No Friction

- No Member Bending

- High strength to weight

- Spring Dynamics- Torsion spring

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Tensegrity Robots

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

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Biotensegrity

Dr Levin – Orthopedic Surgeon

Axial loads on joints of live subjects

Could not force contact

While ligaments intact!

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Biomechanics

Rigid Body Analysis Gives Impossible Answers!

Calculated: 36,000N

Max: 9,600 N

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Gravity

Animals are in near constant motion.

We constantly change our orientation towards gravity field.

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Biotensegrity Models

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Cellular Tensegrity

Microtubules, microfilaments and intermediate filaments within the cytoskeleton of endothelial cells

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

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Spinal Posture Reflex

Animals Can Stand with Spinal Cord Severed !!!

Brain Stem Includes Inner Ear

If Brain Stem Included,

Can stand on tilting table and will resist being pushed

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Martial Arts – Push Back Reflex

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Muscle Spindle

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Muscle Spindle Closed Loop

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Gamma System – Set Zero Point?

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Muscle Length Maintenance

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Golgi Tendon Organ

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Decentralized Minimal Force Position Maintenance

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

35Vytas SunSpiral

Purposeful Motion Control

Signals from Motor Cortex Interact with

Closed Loop Control System

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Martial Arts – Trained Motion

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Outline

+Physical

System

Control

System

Implementation

38Vytas SunSpiral

Implementation – Air Muscles

The relationship between pressure and force is linear at constant extensions.

New: High Reliability

Over 10 million cycles

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Implementation - Sensors

Muscle Spindle = Flexible Stretch Sensors

Golgi Organ = Strain Gauge

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Questions?

Vytas@SunSpiral.org

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Fascia Contracts

-Fascia can contract and relax!

-Slowly! Adaptation to change/habit/injury

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Cross Section of Thigh

Is the Femur weight bearing?

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Spinal Nerves

In the accompanying Diagram, which is designed in part as a

mnemonic, extensor motor neurones are indicated by

rectangles, flexors by triangles. More proximal motor neurones

have larger motor units (larger symbols) than more distal ones.