Simulating the integration and regulation of human Ia and Ib reflexes on a musculoskeletal robot driven by pneumatic artificial muscles

Simulations of human Ia and Ib reflexes on a bio-inspired musculoskeletal robot driven by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) offer a favorable option for counteracting disturbances in complex and dynamic work environments, providing a solution to the significant computational burdens that undermine its potential due to PAMs' inherent non-linearities. This research focuses on the simultaneous integration of human Ia and Ib reflexes (referred to as double-reflex) as countermeasures against physical disturbance in a musculoskeletal robot system driven by PAMs. The system's performance was examined, and implementation challenges were identified during experiments. Mechanisms were then applied to ensure the effective functioning of the integrated reflexes. Experimental results substantiated the effectiveness of the double-reflex system, highlighting its functionality within the robotic system. This investigation corroborates the viability of concurrently implementing Ia and Ib reflexes, providing a reference for the design of robotic reflex control systems. The study also offers some references based on the view of signal processing, regarding the possible functions of the human spinal cord that might be necessary to perform proper reflex actions.