Analysis of a model for antagonistic muscles.

In the present work a linear model for a pair of antagonistic muscles is analysed. Each constituent muscle in this model is identical to ones considered previously (Stein and Oğuztöreli, 1976). Analytical properties of the antagonistic muscles and dynamics of the system are described and some numerical results are discussed. The natural modes of the system are determined by a fourth order polynomial, which most commonly has one pair of conjugate complex roots and two negative real roots. The filtering of neural inputs through the active state properties of the muscle increases the order of the system to fifth order for these inputs.