IMU-Based Wrist Rotation Control of a Transradial Myoelectric Prosthesis

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2018 Feb;26(2):419-427. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2682642. Epub 2017 Mar 15.

Abstract

This paper describes a control method intended to facilitate improved control of a myoelectric prosthesis containing a wrist rotator. Rather than exclusively utilizing electromyogram (EMG) for the control of all myoelectric components (e.g., a hand and a wrist), the proposed controller utilizes inertial measurement (from six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU)) to sense upper arm abduction/adduction, and uses this input to command a wrist rotation velocity. As such, the controller essentially substitutes shoulder abduction/adduction in place of agonist/antagonist EMG to control wrist angular velocity, which preserves EMG for control of the hand (or other arm components). As a preliminary assessment of efficacy, the control method was implemented on a transradial prosthesis prototype with a powered wrist rotator and hand, and experimentally assessed on five able-bodied subjects who wore the prototype using an able-bodied adaptor and one transradial amputee subject while performing assessments representative of activities of daily living. The assessments compared the (timed) performance of the combined EMG/ IMU-based control method with a (conventional) sequential EMG control approach. Results of the assessment indicate that the able-bodied subjects were able to perform the tasks 33% faster on average with the EMG/IMU-based method, relative to a conventional sequential EMG method. The same assessment was subsequently conducted using a single transradial amputee subject, which resulted in similar performance trends, although with a somewhat lessened effect size-specifically, the amputee subject was on average 22% faster in performing tasks with the IMU-based controller.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Amputees
  • Artificial Limbs*
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Electromyography / methods*
  • Female
  • Hand / physiology
  • Healthy Volunteers
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Prosthesis Design
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Rotation
  • Wrist / physiology*
  • Wrist Joint
  • Young Adult