PROJECT TITLE :

Toward Balance Recovery With Leg Prostheses Using Neuromuscular Model Control

ABSTRACT:

Objective: Lower limb amputees are at high risk of falling as current prosthetic legs give only limited functionality for recovering balance when surprising disturbances. For instance, the most established management method used on powered leg prostheses tracks native joint impedance functions without taking the world function of the leg in balance recovery under consideration. Here, we explore another control policy for powered transfemoral prostheses that considers the worldwide leg operate and is based on a neuromuscular model of human locomotion. Methods: We have a tendency to adapt this model to describe and simulate an amputee walking with a powered prosthesis using the proposed management, and evaluate the gait robustness when confronted with rough ground and swing leg disturbances. We have a tendency to then implement and partially evaluate the ensuing controller on a leg prosthesis prototype worn by a nonamputee user. Results: In simulation, the proposed prosthesis control leads to gaits that are a lot of robust than those obtained by the impedance management methodology. The initial hardware experiments with the prosthesis prototype show that the proposed management reproduces traditional walking patterns qualitatively and effectively responds to disturbances in early and late swing. But, the response to midswing disturbances neither replicates human responses nor averts falls. Conclusions: The neuromuscular model control may be a promising alternative to existing prosthesis controls, though additional analysis can would like to enhance on the initial implementation and confirm how well these results transfer to amputee gait. Significance: This paper provides a potential avenue for future development of management policies that facilitate to boost amputee balance recovery.