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Mechanical Stimuli

Mechanical Stimuli Description

Mechanical stimuli can be applied to a variety of objects in the biomechanical editor within AnimatLab. Each object knows what type of stimuli that can be applied to it and will only provide you with those for options when adding stimuli. For example, you can only add current stimuli to neurons, and only force stimuli to rigid bodies. To add a stimulus you need to select the desired object and then hit the Add Stimulus button, , on the toolbar. Alternately, once the item is selected you could right-click to display the pop-up menu and then select the Add Stimulus item. Either way, This will open the Add Stimulus Dialog. Only the stimuli that can be added to this object will be available. Choose the one you want and a new stimulus will be added to the list in the project workspace, and you can configure the properties for the new stimulus in the properties toolbar.

The following is a list of the currently available stimuli.

Motor Velocity
Forces a motor to rotate at a set velocity for a specified amount of time.
Motor Position
Forces a motor to move to a set position for a specified amount of time.
Force
Applies forces and torques to a body part.
Enabler
Enables or disables a part that can be enabled.
Position Clamp
Uses a PID controller to maintain a specified rotation of a joint by applying restorative forces.