Feedback Control of Electrical Stimulation Electrode Arrays

Electrical stimulation electrode arrays are an emerging technology that enable muscles to be artificially activated to assist human motion for orthotic or therapeutic purposes. This paper develops a framework to enable design of model-based electrode array feedback controllers that balances joint angle tracking performance with the degree of disturbance and modeling mismatch that can exist in the true underlying biomechanical system. This framework is used to develop a simplified control design procedurethat is suitable for application in a clinical setting. Experimental results evaluate the feasibility of the control design approach through tests on six participants using fabric electrode arrays