Integrating Exosuit Capabilities into Clothing to Make Back Relief Accessible to Workers Unserved by Existing Exoskeletons: Design and Preliminary Evaluation.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSWe developed a method for integrating back-assist exosuit capabilities into regular clothing to make musculoskeletal relief accessible to more workers. We demonstrated proof-of-concept that this uniform-integrated exosuit can be effective and usable. Existing occupational exosuits are standalone accessories worn on top of a user's clothing and are not suitable for all workers.

Unilateral transtibial prosthesis users load their intact limb more than their prosthetic limb during sit-to-stand, squatting, and lifting.

Background: Lower limb prosthesis users exhibit high rates of joint pain and disease, such as osteoarthritis, in their intact limb. Overloading of their intact limb during daily activities may be a contributing factor. Limb loading biomechanics have been extensively studied during walking, but fewer investigations into limb loading during other functional movements exist.

Data-Driven Dynamic Motion Planning for Practical FES-Controlled Reaching Motions in Spinal Cord Injury.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a promising technology for restoring reaching motions to individuals with upper-limb paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the limited muscle capabilities of an individual with SCI have made achieving FES-driven reaching difficult. We developed a novel trajectory optimization method that used experimentally measured muscle capability data to find feasible reaching trajectories.

Predicting functional force production capabilities of upper extremity functional electrical stimulation neuroprostheses: a proof of concept study.

Objective: This study's goal was to demonstrate person-specific predictions of the force production capabilities of a paralyzed arm when actuated with a functional electrical stimulation (FES) neuroprosthesis. These predictions allow us to determine, for each hand position in a person's workspace, if FES activated muscles can produce enough force to hold the arm against gravity and other passive forces, the amount of force the arm can potentially exert on external objects, and in which directions FES can move the arm.

Approach: We computed force production predictions for a person with high tetraplegia and an FES neuroprosthesis used to activate muscles in her shoulder and arm.

Developing a Quasi-Static Controller for a Paralyzed Human Arm: A Simulation Study.

Individuals with paralyzed limbs due to spinal cord injuries lack the ability to perform the reaching motions necessary to every day life. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a promising technology for restoring reaching movements to these individuals by reanimating their paralyzed muscles. We have proposed using a quasi-static model-based control strategy to achieve reaching controlled by FES.

Holding Static Arm Configurations With Functional Electrical Stimulation: A Case Study.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a promising solution for restoring functional motion to individuals with paralysis, but the potential for achieving any desired full-arm reaching motion has not been realized. We present a combined feedforward-feedback controller capable of automatically calculating and applying the necessary muscle stimulations to hold the wrist of an individual with high tetraplegia in a desired static position. We used the controller to hold a complete arm configuration to maintain a series of static wrist positions.

Evaluating an open-loop functional electrical stimulation controller for holding the shoulder and elbow configuration of a paralyzed arm.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a promising solution for restoring functional motion to individuals with paralysis, but the potential for achieving full-arm reaching motions with FES for various desired tasks has not been realized. We present an open-loop controller capable of calculating and applying the necessary muscle stimulations to hold the wrist of an individual with high tetraplegia at any desired position. We used the controller to hold the wrist at a series of static positions.