ABSTRACT
The ease with which one is able to walk, talk, manipulate objects and play sports belies the fact that generating coordinated movement is a tremendously complex task. We have to control our bodies through a muscular system that is highly redundant, nonlinear and unreliable. Furthermore, we are reliant on sensory feedback that is also unreliable and substantially delayed. Yet many tasks that robotic systems achieve either cumbersomely or not at all are routine to us. Expert performers push the limits of performance even further. Our advantage over synthetic manipulators and – arguably – a professional sportsperson’s advantage over a rookie, lies not so much in the hardware performing the task, but in the way it is controlled.
