Sum of phase-shifted sinusoids stimulation prolongs paralyzed muscle output

Abstract

Neuroprostheses that activate musculature of the lower extremities can enable standing and movement after paralysis. Current systems are functionally limited by rapid muscle fatigue induced by conventional, non-varying stimulus waveforms. Previous work has shown that sum of phase-shifted sinusoids (SOPS) stimulation, which selectively modulates activation of individual motor unit pools (MUPs) to lower the duty cycle of each while maintaining a high net muscle output, improves joint moment maintenance but introduces greater instability over conventional stimulation. In this case study, implementation of SOPS stimulation with a real-time feedback controller successfully decreased joint moment instability and further prolonged joint moment output with increased stimulation efficiency over open-loop approaches in one participant with spinal cord injury. These findings demonstrate the potential for closed-loop SOPS to improve functionality of neuroprosthetic systems.