Norman Badler & Brian Barsky 
Making Them Move [PDF ebook] 
Mechanics, Control & Animation of Articulated Figures

Current computer graphics hardware and software make it possible to synthesize near photo-realistic images, but the simulation of natural-looking motion of articulated figures remains a difficultand challenging task. Skillfully rendered animation of humans, animals, and robots can delight and move us, but simulating their realistic motion holds great promise for many other applications as well, including ergonomic engineering design, clinical diagnosis of pathological movements, rehabilitation therapy, and biomechanics.Making Them Move presents the work of leading researchers in computer graphics, psychology, robotics and mechanical engineering who were invited to attend the Workshop on the Mechanics, Control and Animation of Articulated Figures held at the MIT Media Lab in April 1989. The book explores biological and robotic motor control, as well as state-of-the-art computergraphics techniques for simulating human and animal figures in a natural and physically realistic manner.