Evaluation on the bi-articular muscles during pedaling using musculoskeletal simulation

A computer simulation for pedaling movements was conducted. The computer model had the muscles on the lower extremities including the bi-articular muscles, and a neural oscillator controlled the activity of the muscles resulted in joint movements periodically. As a result, the bi-articular muscles control the directions of the pedaling force depending on the crank angles. Especially in the upper half of the crank angle, there should be many combinations of the muscles to generate pedaling force rotating the crank efficiently. On the other hand, in the lower of the crank angle, the specific muscle could be work in the adequate timing. Thus, the bi-articular muscles should be activated with selecting and combining the other active muscles as a part of efficient pedaling skills.