A Kinematic Study of Human Torso Motion

Abstract

This paper illustrates a kinematic study of human torso motion in order to design and transfer human-like motion on humanoid robots. The realization is done using motion capture data and an optimization based inverse kinematic approach for mapping motion data to skeleton models with the main focus on reproducing realistic torso motion. The kinematic model is based on a multiybody approach using relative coordinates. According to the difficulty of marker based motion reconstruction of human torso movements a detailed multibody model of the spine with a coupling structure between vertebrae based on medical data is introduced. Then, a new formulation describing the kinematic constraints between pelvis and shoulder girdle is presented in order to simplify modeling effort while maintaining natural motion of the torso. Results are compared for key movements with common models. The developed models will be used for design application in the Collaborative Research Center 588 “Humanoid Robots - Learning and Cooperating Multimodal Robots”.