I have a question regarding a specific problem and if it is possible and how to simulate it with AnyBody. Is it possible to simulate the forces in the sternum while breathing?
While chest breathing, the ribs and the sternum are moving up and down. There are the vertebral-costal joints and the sternal-costal joints, both connected via the ribs. Many muscles that pull the ribs up and down are also included.
I made a small model to test, for which I will make a new topic in the model forum, with 2 ribs for each side, but I was not able to drive it yet.
Is it possible to simulate and drive a joint system like this with AnyBody?
The picture attached does point out the situation quite well.
That is an interesting question. Some years back I had a very good group of students who developed a thoracic spine model for scoliosis investigations and this model included the ribs and the and the joints you mention. However, it is very debatable how to best model a mechanism that mimics the dynamics of this system. The one you show in your picture can certainly be made in AnyBody but it gets more complicated if you want to connect this mechanism to the many degrees of freedom in the thoracic spine.
So, yes, you can make a mechanism like the one you showed but whether it is a good representation of the real thorax is hard to say.