Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Nowadays automotive industry is paying more attention to vehicle safety systems with the aim to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities among road users. Simulations are used throughout the whole research and development process for such systems involving Finite Element Human Body Models (FE HBMs) and the multiphysics simulation software package LS‐DYNA. Because the safety of living (active) humans in traffic situations has to be assured, special material models are applied to generate reflexive or voluntary muscle reactions of the FE HBMs. These elements are governed by an application‐dependent controller, which produce individual activation signals for each of them. The current contribution presents the development of a physiologically inspired controller for muscle elements, enabling the simulation of voluntary or reflexive movements with the FE HBM. As a result, it is possible to control muscle elements internally without any additional superior controller level or complementary coding with LS‐DYNA keywords. A validation example with the calculation of appropriate muscle activation levels through optimization of the controller parameters is given.</jats:p>