EMG-based energy expenditure optimization for active prosthetic leg tuning

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Prosthetics

Background:

• Active prosthetic legs improve amputee gait symmetry and reduce effort.
• Current prosthetic tuning is time-consuming, costly, and requires expert subjective adjustments.
• Manual tuning relies on expert observation and amputee feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an automated tuning method for active prosthetic legs.
• To reduce the time and cost associated with prosthetic setup and calibration.
• To explore electromyography (EMG) as a basis for prosthetic limb optimization.

Main Methods:

• An electromyography (EMG)-based energy expenditure optimization model was developed.
• Lower body muscle electrical activity was monitored to model energy expenditure.
• A grid-searching protocol was employed for automated parameter tuning.

Main Results:

• The automated tuning method achieved comparable power output to manual tuning.
• The optimized prosthetic limb provided sufficient force to facilitate amputee gait.
• The EMG-based method demonstrated feasibility for automatic prosthetic adjustment.

Conclusions:

• Automated tuning of active prosthetic legs using EMG is feasible.
• This method can significantly reduce the reliance on expert clinicians for prosthetic setup.
• The developed technique offers a more efficient and cost-effective solution for prosthetic users.