April 2019
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Low back pain affects 4/5 individuals at some point in their lifetime. However, the spine is a musculoskeletal system that is not fully understood. To advance musculoskeletal biomechanical research and to study spinal stability, an robotic spine model was designed complete with analog bones, pneumatic muscles, and artificial cavities. A control system was implemented including pressure sensors, automatic valves, and a position tracking system. The control system successfully allowed the control of the pneumatic muscles on the robotic spine model when subjected to a compressive load in order to counteract instability.