Verification Optimization

Tutorial Developers: Robert Salati, B.J. Fregly, Rice Computational Neuromechanics Lab, Rice University

Last Updated: 3/10/2026

For this step in the soccer kicking example, you will use the Verification Optimization (VO) tool to sanity check your TO run and dry run your future DO run.

Setting up a VO settings file

1. Copy and paste your settings file TOSettings.xml and name it VOSettings.xml

2. Open VOSettings.xml in a text editor and change the XML headings at the top and bottom of the file from <TrackingOptimizationTool> to <VerificationOptimizationTool>

3. Chang <initial_guess_directory> and <tracked_quantities_directory> to TOResults

4. Disable <optimize_synergy_vectors>

5. Remove all cost terms except for Synergy_Activation_Tracking

6. Change the max allowable error of Synergy_Activation_Tracking to 1.

7. Add the following constraints:

   Name: Initial_Generalized_Coordinate_Deviation
   Type: initial_generalized_coordinate_deviation
   Component list: 
       hip_flexion_r 
       knee_angle_r 
       ankle_angle_r
   Max error: 0.0175
   Min error: -0.0175

   Name: Initial_Generalized_Speed_Deviation 
   Type: initial_generalized_speed_deviation
   Component list: 
       hip_flexion_r 
       knee_angle_r 
       ankle_angle_r
   Max error: 0.175
   Min error: -0.175

   Name: Final_Toe_Marker_Position_Deviation 
   Type: final_marker_position_deviation 
   Component list:
       R_Toe
   Axes: x y
   Max error: 0.001
   Min error: 0.001
   info

   To add the axes to this cost term, you need to save the settings file first and then copy and paste the following line into that cost term:

   <axes>x y</axes>

   Name: Final_Foot_Orientation_Deviation
   Type: final_body_orientation_deviation 
   Component list:
       calcn_r
   Axes: z
   Sequence: zxy
   Max error: 0.0175
   Min error: -0.0175
   info

   To add the sequence to this cost term, you need to save the settings file first and then copy and paste the following line into that cost term:

   <sequence>zxy</sequence>

   Name: Final_Toe_Marker_Velocity_Value
   Type: final_marker_velocity_value
   Component list:
       R_Toe
   Max error: 13.1
   Min error: 13.0

   Name: Final_Generalized_Speed_Deviation
   Type: final_generalized_speed_deviation
   Component list: 
       ankle_angle_r
   Max error: 0.175
   Min error: -0.175

Running VO

Open runVOTool.m in Matlab and click run

Runtime

This VO run takes 10 iterations to finish.

Analyzing VO results

Plots should be automatically created by the runVOTool.m script.

The VO results should be almost identical to the TO results.

Questions

• Does your VO run look good? If not, what problems does it have and how can you fix them?
• What was the reason for adding all of the extra constraint terms?