| 2. Background Information | |
A large amount of research is devoted to the study of muscles, including muscle diseases, fundamental mechanisms, etc. One aspect, muscle contraction, has received a lot of attention, although as yet understandlng of the fundamental process is incomplete.
This project was to design and construct a positive feedback device to allow Biophysicists to investigate the isometric response of muscle tissue. In an isometric contraction, the muscle
tension is allowed to vary, whilst keeping the length fixed. This requires a circuit to detect changes in length and supply a signal that is suitable for driving a servo-motor, that subsequently corrects for the movement, returning the muscle to its original length.
In this report, I will briefly outline the biological background, before moving on to concentrate on the design aspects and give detailed information on the operation and testing of the circuit. It is hoped that this report will in future serve as a kind of user's manual, such that the device can be adjusted or modified if necessary.
| 2. Background Information | |