Dynamic Simulation of Upper Limb Movement in Two Software Platforms

There are several opensource or commercially available software platforms widely used for the development of dynamic simulations of movement. While computational approaches to calculating the dynamics of a musculoskeletal model are conceptually similar across platforms, differences in implementation may influence simulation output. To understand predictions made using simulation, it is important to understand differences that may result from the choice of model or platform. Our aims were to 1) develop a musculoskeletal model of the upper limb suitable for dynamic simulation and 2) evaluate the influence of the choice between SIMM-SD/Fast and OpenSim simulation platforms on gravity- and EMG-driven simulations of movement.