Optimal Motion of a Motor Cycle Rider on Sudden Halt

Abstract

In this paper, a new concept has been proposed to theoretically analyze the forces and torques on the upper body of a human riding on a two wheeler while facing a sudden halt/crash. This approach is applied to different joints by using a musculoskeletal model of the upper body. The optimal motion of the upper body during the sudden halt/crash is obtained by converting the multi degree of freedom control problem to a parameter based problem to study the nature and modes of response following a shock. A mathematical model with reduced degrees of freedom is proposed that retains the essential features of the motion most probable in the direction of the original velocity and the same (a non-linear formulation) is numerically investigated to find out the forces and torques on the thorasic trunk and the head-neck with the waist joint together with the displacements.