Ankle controls that produce a maximal vertical jump when other joints are locked

Recently, there have been a number of attempts to apply optimal control theory to the analysis of human and animal movement. Because normal movements are very complicated and difficult to analyze, an experimental task that is easier to model and analyze has been chosen. Experimental subjects were instructed to jump as high as possible while keeping their knee and hip joints fully extended and their arms above their heads. The experiment is modeled by a two-segment inverted pendulum that is to be propelled as high as possible by a torque exerted at the joint. This torque is created by a simplified model of joint torque production by muscle and is controlled by a muscle "activation." The resulting optimal control problem is solved and the solution compared to the experimental results.