This book provides a conceptual and computational framework to study how the nervous system
exploits the anatomical properties of limbs to produce mechanical function. The study of the
neural control of limbs has historically emphasized the use of optimization to find solutions
to the muscle redundancy problem. That is how does the nervous system select a specific muscle
coordination pattern when the many muscles of a limb allow for multiple solutions? I revisit
this problem from the emerging perspective of neuromechanics that emphasizes finding and
implementing families of feasible solutions instead of a single and unique optimal solution.
Those families of feasible solutions emerge naturally from the interactions among the feasible
neural commands anatomy of the limb and constraints of the task. Such alternative perspective
to the neural control of limb function is not only biologically plausible but sheds light on
the most central tenets and debates in the fields of neural control robotics rehabilitation
and brain-body co-evolutionary adaptations. This perspective developed from courses I taught to
engineers and life scientists at Cornell University and the University of Southern California
and is made possible by combining fundamental concepts from mechanics anatomy mathematics
robotics and neuroscience with advances in the field of computational geometry. Fundamentals of
Neuromechanics is intended for neuroscientists roboticists engineers physicians
evolutionary biologists athletes and physical and occupational therapists seeking to advance
their understanding of neuromechanics. Therefore the tone is decidedly pedagogical engaging
integrative and practical to make it accessible to people coming from a broad spectrum of
disciplines. I attempt to tread the line between making the mathematical exposition accessible
to life scientists and convey the wonder and complexity of neuroscience to engineers and
computational scientists. While no one approach can hope to definitively resolve the important
questions in these related fields I hope to provide you with the fundamental background and
tools to allow you to contribute to the emerging field of neuromechanics.
