Researchers of the BIOMEC group, part of the Mechanical Engineering Department at UPC-BarecelonaTech, were selected to participate at the OpenSim+ Advanced Workshop that will take place in Stanford University (CA, USA), this coming March, 2025. Ana Carolina Cardoso De Sousa, Ph.D., Massimo Cenciarini, Ph.D., and Josep Maria Font-Llagunes, Ph.D., together with Carlos Gonçalves, a collaborator from Brazil, submitted a proposal titled “Simulating full-body dynamics in FES rowing: a new musculoskeletal framework for injury prevention and performance”. Dr. Cenciarini will spend a few days with a team of experts and developers of the OpenSim software. This powerful multibody simulation software is used worldwide in many institutions to study human movement biomechanics, among other applications.

The aim of this project is to develop and validate a musculoskeletal (MSK) simulation framework to model the intricate biomechanics of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) applied to rowing (FES-rowing). Tools like OpenSim have the potential to contribute to the optimization of FES parameters to enhance safety, performance, and personalization for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI).

This is a great opportunity for our group to take advantage of the expertise of the group in Stanford University to accelerate the development of this simulation framework.

Project framework and workshop goals. (a) Objectives. (b) MSK rowing model in OpenSim. (c) Collected seat translation data. (d) Predictive simulation workflow: pelvis translation tracking and muscle activation estimation using OpenSim Moco.