Control in a human-inspired model of reaching movements : comparison between optimal feedback and trajectory based controllers

This master thesis investigates the capacities of two controllers, whose operating principles are significantly different, to mimic the human behavior when performing reaching movements. The first controller is purely based on the optimal feedback theory while the second one is a mix of this theory and another that supposes that the motor commands are based on a desired trajectory. Several simulations, based on two real experiments, are carried out to compare the trajectories obtained by each of the controllers with the trajectories realized by humans. It appears that the controller purely based on the optimal feedback theory computes trajectories much more similar to those realized by humans than the other controller.