Whole-body torques for generating complex movements in humans and humanoids

This paper considers the problem of identifying the control torques associated with the generation of complex movements in an anthropomorphic system. We present a generic motion generation scheme for humanoid robots. Then we use the torques estimated from human motion capture and force sensor measurements, to compare with similar movements simulated on a humanoid robot. The general features of movement during a sequence of reaching tasks are analyzed. In particular we compare kinematics-based and dynamics-based movements. Finally, the variation of torques at the different joints are compared and discussed.