Objectives and Brief History
The goal of the ISB Technical Group in Motor Control is to provide a forum to highlight and foster the increased interest in scientific work that bridges the fields of Motor Control and Biomechanics. The Motor Control Technical Group was established as a Seed Group affiliated with the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) at the XXIV Congress of ISB in Natal (Brazil), in 2013. It was recognized as a Working Group of ISB at the XXV Congress of ISB in Glasgow in 2015; and as a Technical Group of ISB at the 2019 ISB/ASB Congress in Calgary, Canada.
Board Members and Advisors
Executive Board Members: Professor Jim Richards (Chairperson), University of Central Lancashire, UK; Professor Walter Herzog (Secretary General), University of Calgary, Canada; Associate Professor Matt S. Stock (Vice Chairperson), University of Central Florida, USA.
Advisors: Dr Paola Contessa, Padua University Hospital, Italy; Professor Patria Hume, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; Professor Jean-Benoit Morin, Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne, France; Dr Archit Navandar, Aspire Academy, Qatar.
Main Recent Activities
Professor Jim Richards from the University of Central Lancashire and the current Chair of the Motor Control Technical Group presented a report on the recently developed activities:
We sincerely thank all the members of the ISB Executive Council for their continuous support and recognition, in particular Technical Groups Officer Tung-Wu and we look forward to continuing to work towards bridging the fields of Motor Control and Biomechanics.
Committee members were changed/re-elected through online voting and confirmed in August 2022. These will next be re-considered in 2026.
Gender Balance and EDI: We will continue to pay particular attention to the representation of female speakers and to attracting junior investigators and students, and wider equality, diversity and inclusion that ensures fair treatment and opportunities for all, with the aim of eliminating prejudice and discrimination based on individual’s protected characteristics.
2023 has seen a presence of the ISB MCG at various conferences and symposia at scientific meetings and other educational events to raise awareness of the importance of biomechanics and the activities of ISB. The main events with significant presence are highlighted below.
Symposium at the 2023 Brazilian Society for Biomechanics Conference
This symposium was on the topic of Neuromechanics and the relationship between brain activity and movement control. Chaired by Walter Herzog held in conjunction with the XX Brazilian Congress of Biomechanics. This event was a pre-conference symposium held on April 18th, 2023 at 11:30–14:00, São Paulo State University, Brazil.
This symposium brought together established researchers and junior investigators with an interest in Motor Control and Biomechanics to discuss Motor Control concepts in Biomechanics for a wide range of applications including Robotics, Rehabilitation, Kinesiology, Modeling, Sport Science, and more.
Researchers and students with an interest in Biomechanics and Motor Control attended. Participants had the opportunity to hear about the latest developments in these fields and discuss with experienced investigators including:
- Steve Scott from (keynote speaker) – Queens University, Canada
- Gabriela Castellano (support. ng speaker) – Unicamp University, Sao Paulo
- Alexandre Hideki Okano (supporting speaker) – UFABC University Sao Paulo
- Walter Herzog (Session Chair) – University of Calgary, Canada
ISB/JSB Motor Control Technical Group Symposium in Fukuoka, Japan, 30 July-03 August 2023)
This 90 minute symposium includes a 30 min keynote talk and 6 oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts to ISB/JSB 2023. This will cover advancements in the understanding of human movement through an integrated approach that includes both the study of the organization of the nervous system and the biomechanical properties of the musculoskeletal system. This symposium will highlight novel scientific work that bridges elements of motor control and biomechanics to facilitate and encourage an integrated approach to the study of human movement. This symposium will include talks on the development of musculoskeletal models of muscle function, the interaction between muscle activity and cerebral dynamics in the brain, coordination and modelling of impairment, and the modulation of mechanical and reflexive responses to perturbations.
- Yasuharu Koike (Keynote). Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. “Development of a musculoskeletal model that estimates muscle tension from electromyography, joint torque, impedance, and equilibrium position”.
- Le Li. Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. “Interaction analysis between sEMG signals and cerebral dynamics in brain regions during isometric contraction of elbow joint.”
- Daniel Koska. Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany. “Does a foot-eye coordination variable add value to the prediction of mild cognitive impairment?”
- Dana Lorenz. Cleveland State University, USA. “Reflex modulation during gait with mechanical perturbations.”
- Jessica L. Allen. University of Florida. “Embedding the control of balance into the muscle coordination for walking is associated with better walking function”.
- Miriam Febrer Nafria. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain. “Modelling patient-specific neural control in children with cerebral palsy”.
- Jesper Bencke. Copenhagen University Hospital, Amager-Hvidovre, Denmark. “Pre-programmed hamstring activation during sidecutting is associated with reflexive response during a single-legged pertubation test”.
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