Application of robotics to prosthetic control

Multiaxis robotic and prosthetic systems have a number of common characteristics such that control techniques for robots may sometimes be adapted for prosthetic devices. One characteristic that is particularly important for these systems is that good performance over a wide range of motion and loads is difficult since it is dependent upon complex time-varying, nonlinear dynamics. This paper gives an example of the complexity of the dynamics for a two degree-of-freedom, double-inverted pendulum which has been used as a model for study of biped locomotion. Two different methods called the “inverse plant” and State Space Memory, now being considered for robotic mechanisms, are then presented which base the control on the dynamics of the system and may have application for prosthetic devices.