Human Model Generator (HMG)

The Human Model Generator is a Python-based tool designed to generate anthropometric human whole-body models in the Unified Robot Description Format (URDF) standard, suitable in robotics for motion analysis and simulation applications.

Introduction

The movement of the human body is made possible through the synergistic action of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. The nervous system sends signals to the muscles, causing them to contract and exert forces on the skeletal system. This intricate interaction between these systems enables complex and coordinated motions. The musculoskeletal models offer a valuable approximation of the human anatomy and they are used extensively in fields like biomechanics, robotics, and computer simulations to study and mimic human movement. The muscle modeling is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the human movement. This involves the simulation of the behavior of muscles, including their activation patterns, force production, and interaction with the skeletal system. Accurate muscle models can predict how the whole-body movement and performance are affected by changes in muscle strength, coordination, and fatigue. However, for a more accurate representation, additional data is required to customize models for different subjects, e.g., inertial parameters of body segments and anthropometric measurements. Therefore, the goal of the HMG is to develop an advanced human model that integrates both skeletal and muscular information. This model does not only include detailed anatomical and inertial data but also it is scalable to accommodate the specific features of each human subject.

Dependencies

This library requires the following dependencies:

• idyntree
• urdf-modifiers

Installation with conda (recommended)

• Create and activate a brand new enviroment

conda create -n human_model_env
conda activate human_model_env

• Install idyntree following these instructions
• Install urdf-modifiers

git clone https://github.com/icub-tech-iit/urdf-modifiers.git
cd urdf-modifiers
pip install .

Usage

git clone https://github.com/ami-iit/human-model-generator.git
cd human-model-generator/code

• Open the file config.py with a text editor
• Manually modify the parameters according to the human subject anthropometric measurements (see this file)
• Generate the model by running python main.py
• The URDF model will be saved in the folder models/humanModels

Maintainers

Lorenzo Fiori	Claudia Latella