Mitigation of Fatigue Induced Effects in Skeletal Muscle Through Closed-Loop Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

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Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) is prescribed by clinicians to aid in the recovery of strength, size, and function of the muscles of people suffering from movement disorders to enable improved mobility and activities of daily living. The research objective of this award is to enable improved rehabilitative outcomes of the NMES treatment by developing new closed-loop stimulation methods that prolong the application of stimulation by compensating for or delaying the onset of muscle fatigue. The research approach progresses from the development of NMES controllers that can compensate for diminished muscle force production and decreased responsiveness of the muscle. Developed controllers will embed a stimulation protocol in the design that indicates how to vary the intensity and frequency of stimulation to reduce fatigue. Deliverables include a class of closed-loop control methods, stability analysis tools, demonstration through human subject testing, documentation of research results, and engineering student education.If successful, the results of this research will have the potential to enable prolonged dosage of NMES therapies by compensating for and/or delaying the onset of muscle fatigue. Longer rehabilitation sessions enabled by the ability to yield accurate limb motion from prolonged stimulation can speed the rehabilitation of people with movement disorders caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, etc. The mathematics and analysis tools developed to compensate for decreasing controllability effects and delayed response in muscles can also be abstracted to other engineering applications such as networked systems, telerobotics, and fault tolerance. Research outcomes will be transitioned through a transatlantic degree consortium project focused on developing engineers and scientists who can work with physicians and surgeons to develop innovative medical practice. The research challenges will be used to educate graduate and undergraduate students, and developed solutions will be disseminated through publications, conference presentations, and workshops.