Open-loop control of the freely-swinging paralyzed leg.

An experimental model has been used to study issues that are relevant to the use of electrical stimulation to help paralyzed individuals walk. Modulated stimulation sequences for the quadriceps muscles were manually selected using an iterative trial-and-error procedure to cause the knee angle to follow a specific movement pattern (desired trajectory). Four paraplegic subjects were tested before and after an eight-week program in which the quadriceps were exercised daily with electrical stimulation. It was found that 12.6 +/- 2.9 iterations were required to approximate the desired trajectory. The average error of the final match between the actual and desired trajectories was 2.1 degrees +/- 0.7. Repeated responses were extremely consistent; the average difference between successive trials was less than 1 degree in 81 percent of the trials. When the stimulation sequence was repeated every 3 s for 50 cycles, however, there was a progressive degradation in the response, even in exercised legs, that demonstrated the limitations of open-loop control. Stimulus modulation envelopes for all four subjects were similar in shape (although varied in amplitude) indicating that the iterative process can be shortened by starting with an "average" modulation envelope. Stimulation sequences achieved accurate matches of the desired trajectory on subsequent days when adjusted by a simple gain factor. The relevance of these results to multichannel control of walking is discussed.

Feedback regulation of hand grasp opening and contact force during stimulation of paralyzed muscle.

A fixed-parameter, discrete-time, first-order, feedback control system is described for regulating grasp during electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles of the hand. The stiffness of the grasp (relationship between grasp force and grasp opening) is kept constant by linearly combining force and position feedback signals. Thus, a single continuous command signal can control the size of the grasp opening prior to object acquisition and both grasp force and opening after contact. The controller achieves this change in controlled variables by scaling and summing the force and position feedback signals, rather than by a discrete switch in control strategy. Experimental tests of the control system in quadriplegic subjects show that control can be obtained over conditions ranging from unloaded position regulation to isometric force regulation, as well as in the transition between these conditions. The robustness of the control system was evaluated during force regulation with isometric loads. Step response rise time and overshoot were much more dependent on system gain than on the location of the controller zero. Responses with rise time less than two seconds and overshoot less than 30% were obtained over a gain range up to ten, indicating good robustness to muscle gain reductions such as might be caused by fatigue.

Motor point delineation of the gluteus medius muscle for functional electrical stimulation: an in vivo anatomic study.

The purpose of this study was to delineate the motor point region of the gluteus medius muscle to aid in placing epimysial electrodes for functional electrical stimulation. Seven surgically dissected gluteus medius muscles were studied in five patients. The lateral surface of the muscle was sequentially probed with an electrical stimulator. The motor point region, which responded maximally to an applied electric current, was located on the posterolateral aspect of the muscle, adjacent to the superior margin of the piriformis, 3 cm lateral to the greater sciatic notch; it was rectangular or oval, measuring approximately 3.5 cm by 3.0 cm. The mean threshold current that produced a contraction was 14 mA (range = 2 to 26 mA). The mean minimum current required to produce a maximum contraction was 34 mA (range = 11 to 60 mA). This information provides guidelines for the placement of electrodes for functional electrical stimulation of this deeply situated muscle, and it provides electrical stimulation parameters required for adequate muscle activation.