CAREER: Understanding and Analyzing User-Prosthesis Interaction for Designing a Volitional Controller for Powered Lower Limb Prostheses

尽管近年来已经深入研究了假肢的意志控制，但是还没有开发出用于下肢假肢的类似技术，部分原因是当前被动假肢缺乏控制能力。 动力下肢假肢和神经机器接口（NMI）这两项新兴技术为腿部截肢者直观地操作假肢并以自然的方式进行各种活动开辟了新的可能性。 然而，它仍然是证明动力假肢的意志控制的可行性。 这是PI在当前项目中的目标：开发和实现一种新型的意志控制器，使经股截肢的用户能够直观安全地操作多功能动力假肢。 为此，她将系统地调查和量化下肢截肢者和动力假肢之间的相互作用。 内在控制（即，基于内在机械反馈的控制）的原型动力经股骨（TF）假体将开发有限状态机和阻抗控制机制，使得其可以帮助截肢者在负重和非负重情况下进行各种活动。 意志控制的设计将基于多模型工程框架，该框架将意图解码器与内在假体控制集成在一起，以便在动力TF假体中创建前馈控制，同时确保截肢者的安全。 最后，将在TF截肢患者身上实施意志控制动力TF假体的概念验证原型，并进行真实的评估。更广泛的影响： 项目成果将大大推进下肢假肢技术，这反过来又将导致大量和不断增长的下肢截肢者的生活质量的改善。 类似的技术应适用于动力矫形器的控制，这将有利于神经运动缺陷的患者群体。 该项目中收集的实验数据将揭示人类运动控制机制，这将使运动学和神经科学等多个领域受益。 本研究开发的新技术（包括传感器、通信、算法、控制等）应该有助于推进以人为中心的计算研究（包括，例如，外骨骼控制和用于健康监测的可穿戴传感器）。 通过将她的研究融入综合教育和推广计划，PI将帮助教育下一代工程师和科学家，他们将影响科学和技术的未来。

Although volitional control of prosthetic arms has been studied intensively in recent years, similar technology has not yet been developed for lower limb prostheses, due in part to the lack of control capability in current passive prosthetic legs. Two emerging technologies, powered lower limb prostheses and neural-machine interfaces (NMI), have opened up new possibilities for allowing leg amputees to operate prostheses intuitively and to perform various activities in a natural way. It remains, however, to demonstrate the feasibility of volitional control for powered prosthetic legs. This is the PI's goal in the current project: to develop and implement a novel volitional controller that allows users with transfemoral amputations to operate a multifunctional, powered prosthetic leg intuitively and safely. To this end, she will systematically investigate and quantify the interaction effects between lower limb amputees and powered artificial legs. Intrinsic control (i.e., control based on intrinsic mechanical feedback) for a prototype powered transfemoral (TF) prosthesis will be developed with finite-state machine and impedance control mechanisms so that it can assist amputees in performing various activities in weight bearing and non-weight bearing situations. The design of the volitional control will be based on a multi-model engineering framework that integrates intent decoders with intrinsic prosthesis control so as to create feed-forward control in a powered TF prosthesis while ensuring amputee safety. Finally, a proof-of-concept prototype of a volitionally-controlled, powered TF prosthesis will be implemented and evaluated in real time on patients with TF amputations. Broader Impacts: Project outcomes will significantly advance lower limb prostheses technology, which will in turn lead to quality of life improvements for the large and growing population of lower limb amputees. Similar technology should be applicable to control of powered orthotics, which would benefit patient populations with neuromotor deficits. The experimental data collected in the project will shed light on human motor control mechanisms, which should benefit diverse fields such as kinesiology and neuroscience. The new technologies developed in this research (including sensors, communication, algorithms, control, etc.) should help advance research across human-centered computing (including, for example, exoskeleton control and wearable sensors for health monitoring). Through integration of her research into comprehensive education and outreach programs, the PI will help educate the next generation of engineers and scientists, who will impact the future of science and technology.