Citation

Yang J, Feng X, Kim JH, Rajulu S. Int. J. Hum. Factrors Model. Simul. 2010; 1(3): 271-293.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Inderscience Publishers)

DOI

10.1504/IJHFMS.2010.036791

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The human shoulder plays an important role in human posture and motion, especially in scenarios in which humans need to achieve tasks with external loads. The complexity of the shoulder mechanism makes it difficult to model a shoulder complex realistically. Although many researchers have attempted to model the human shoulder complex, there has not been a survey of these models including their benefits and limitations. This paper attempts to review various biomechanical models proposed and summarise the pros and cons. It focuses mainly on the human modelling domain, although some of these models were originally from the robotics field. The models are divided into three major categories: open-loop chain models, closed-loop chain models and musculoskeletal shoulder models. The open-loop models are the simplest ones to represent the gross structure of the shoulder complex. Closed-loop models are closer to the real structure of the shoulder complex. Musculoskeletal models are more accurate representation of the actual shoulder complex.