A neuromusculoskeletal model of the human upper limb for a myoelectric exoskeleton control using a reduced number of muscles

Abstract

This paper presents a myoelectric control of an arm exoskeleton designed for rehabilitation. A four-muscles-based NeuroMusculoSkeletal (NMS) model was implemented and optimized using genetic algorithms to adapt the model to different subjects. The NMS model is able to predict the shoulder and elbow torques which are used by the control algorithm to ensure a minimal force of interaction. The accuracy of the method is assessed through validation experiments conducted with two healthy subjects performing free movements along the pseudo-sagittal plane. The experiments show promising results for our approach showing its potential for being introduced in a rehabilitation protocol.