Preliminary Validation of Proportional Myoelectric Control of A Commercially Available Robotic Ankle Exoskeleton

Abstract

Proportional myoelectric control of robotic lower limb exoskeletons can increase the variability and adaptability of biomechanical behaviors for assisting human movement compared to traditional state-based control. Previous exoskeletons using proportional myoelectric control have relied on pneumatic actuators and been limited to laboratory use. We applied proportional myoelectric control to a robotic ankle exoskeleton using a brushless DC motor (Dephy) and enabled it to work in community settings. Benchtop testing verified electromechanical responses similar to biological values (electromechanical delay of 22 ms and time to peak activation of 123 ms). Four healthy participants trained for thirty minutes each using bilateral ankle exoskeletons. From minute one of powered walking to minute 30 of powered walking, peak soleus EMG reduced by 17.9% as they learned to walk with exoskeleton assistance. Our future work will extend the powered walking period, measure metabolic cost, and measure gait variability between participants using proportional myoelectric control on fully portable, electromechanical ankle exoskeletons.