Predicting quadriceps muscle activity during gait with an automatic rule determination method.

It has been suggested that control using a skill-based expert system can be applicable to gait restoration. Rule-based systems have several advantages for this application: they generate a fast response (they are not computationally intensive) and they are easy to comprehend and implement. A major problem with using such systems is the inability of users to determine its rules. In this study, an automatic method for obtaining the production rules from a set of examples is described. The rule base was automatically induced from a model which used external sensor signals as inputs and electromyogram (EMG) patterns as outputs. The method is based on the minimization of entropy. A production rule estimated the muscle activity pattern using the sensor information. The algorithm was tested using data recorded from six able-bodied individuals during ground level walking, with and without ankle-foot orthoses. The data showed that gait variability will increase in able-bodied subjects when the motion of ankle joints is restricted, thus, providing a good test for generalization. The experimental results illustrate performance of the production rule that estimates quadriceps muscle group activity pattern for ground level walking in able-bodied subjects.

Instrumentation for ENG and EMG recordings in FES systems.

An electronic circuit for analog processing of neural (electroneurogram or ENG) and muscular (electromyogram or EMG) signals in functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems is described in this paper. The basic circuit consists of a low-noise gated preamplifier, band-pass filter, amplifier, and a blanking circuit to minimize stimulation artifacts during electrical stimulation. This device was tested in chronic recordings using a triphasic cuff electrode for nerves and epimysial electrodes for muscles in the hind limbs of cats. The device was used for nerve recordings in the presence of electrical stimulation of muscles in the same leg. The recordings showed rejection of stimulation and muscle (M-wave) artifacts, while retaining the information of interest.