Feedback control of unsupported standing in paraplegia--part I: optimal control approach.

Full Abstract

This is the first of a pair of papers which describe an investigation into the feasibility of providing artificial balance to paraplegics using electrical stimulation of the paralyzed muscles. By bracing the body above the shanks, only stimulation of the plantarflexors is necessary. This arrangement prevents any influence from the intact neuromuscular system above the spinal cord lesion. In this paper, we extend the design of the controllers to a nested-loop LQG (linear quadratic Gaussian) stimulation controller which has ankle moment feedback (inner loops) and inverted pendulum angle feedback (outer loop). Each control loop is tuned by two parameters, the control weighting and an observer rise-time, which together determine the behavior. The nested structure was chosen because it is robust, despite changes in the muscle properties (fatigue) and interference from spasticity.

Author information

Author/s: Hunt, K J (KJ); Munih, M (M); de N Donaldson, N (N);

Affiliation: Daimler-Benz AG, Berlin, Germany.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: IEEE transactions on rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE Trans Rehabil Eng), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1997-Dec; vol 5 (issue 4) : pp 331-40

Dates: Created 1998/01/29; Completed 1998/01/29; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 9422458, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

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