Episode 2: (Neural)Control
June 11 1:30-5:30 PM EDT
Exoskeletons controlled by a neuromuscular model and balance strategies for gait assistance
The control of powered exoskeletons to restore gait is challenging and further complicated by the need to interface appropriately with human users. Evaluating the efficacy of the controller with an impaired population is also difficult. I will discuss how we sought to address some of these challenges through the use of a biologically-inspired neuromuscular controller for lower-limb exoskeletons to assist individuals with paraplegia. With very few sensors and no predefined settings for multiple walking speeds, the controller was able to produce healthy-like motion for a range of speeds and for test pilots with differing levels of impairment. I will conclude with current and upcoming studies on balance strategies to fill in scientific gaps on how healthy individuals remain upright during gait, insights from which we hope to apply to improve exoskeleton balance control.
Dr. Amy Wu
Amy R. Wu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s University and the Mitchell Professor in Bio-inspired Robotics. She is the head of the Biomechanics x Robotics Laboratory (BxRL) and a member of Queen’s Ingenuity Labs Research Institute. Her research interests are at the intersection of biomechanics and robotics with the aim of augmenting legged mobility. Prior to joining Queen’s, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Biorobotics Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan.