Mechanics of Musculo(skeletal) Structures

We are interested in understanding the biomechanics of musculoskeletal structures to improve both healthcare and robotics applications. By modeling the muscles, tendons, and ligaments using slender rods, we can efficiently capture their organization and model their mechanics. For healthcare, we are interested in how human muscle changes with age, to better understand the effects of diet and exercise. For robotics, we explore how unique creatures such as octopuses or snakes control their bodies to identify new design and control principles for robotics.