neuromechanics

Neuromechanics is an interdisciplinary field that studies how neural control of movement interacts with the mechanical properties of the musculoskeletal system. It combines principles from neuroscience, biomechanics, motor control, and computational modeling to understand how the brain plans, initiates, and adapts movement, and how muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints respond to neural commands.

Key concepts include motor control strategies (both feedforward planning and feedback corrections), sensorimotor integration, and the role of muscle-tendon dynamics and impedance in shaping movement. Models such as Hill-type muscle representations link neural activation to force production, while musculoskeletal models simulate limb dynamics under neural input. The field investigates how variations in stiffness, damping, and reflex pathways influence performance and safety.

Common methods involve electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle activity, motion capture and force plates to quantify movement and loads, and imaging or stimulation techniques (fMRI, DTI, TMS) to probe neural structure and function. Computational approaches include forward and inverse simulations, optimal control, and real-time biofeedback used in rehabilitation and robotics.

Applications span rehabilitation after stroke, spinal cord injury, or neurodegenerative disease; development of assistive devices such as myoelectric prostheses and robotic exoskeletons; sports performance analysis; and ergonomic design for human–machine collaboration. Challenges include capturing nonlinear, multi-scale interactions and translating models into individualized therapies or devices, while accounting for variability across tasks, environments, and people.