Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Committee Chair
Sergiy Yakovenko
Committee Member
Brock Lindsey
Committee Member
Nicholas Sczcecinski
Committee Member
Jessica Allen
Committee Member
John Krakauer
Abstract
Limb loss poses a significant challenge to mobility and the performance of daily activities. Currently, nearly half of the amputees using powered prosthetics abandon their device due to inadequate limb coordination and movement control abilities. In the healthy system, passive and neural dynamics facilitate the synchronized activation of muscles necessary for coordinated movement. However, in the amputee, the system is disrupted. The goal of this research is to use neural and mechanical dynamics to inform the design of prosthetic devices in order to restore intuitive control and coordinated limb movement.
The first aim of this research is to investigate neural dynamics for prosthetic control, and establish patterns of muscle activity during symmetric and asymmetric precise stepping and apply two common dimensionality reduction techniques to identify independent neuromuscular control signals in an animal model. Future work will be done to incorporate these control signals with musculoskeletal models in order to predict intended movement in the prosthetic limb. We find that there does exist a stereotypical pattern, or template, of muscle activity during the precise stepping task, and a meaningful set of dynamic control signals can be extracted using dimensionality reduction techniques. To investigate mechanical dynamics in the amputee, we studied changes in limb coordination after replacing the socket prosthetic with osseointegrated components. Using an analysis of spatiotemporal gait characteristics, muscle activity and kinematics, we show significant improvements in locomotor coordination in three participants.
The results from this work will guide the development of advanced prosthetic devices that will incorporate dynamic templates of muscle activity into control algorithms and improve mechanical dynamics through osseointegration. This proposed design incorporates neural and mechanical dynamics to improve limb coordination and intuitive control, thereby reducing the rate of prosthetic device abandonment and improving the quality of life for amputees.
Recommended Citation
Hanna, Kacie E., "Advancing prosthetic design using neural and mechanical dynamics" (2023). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12174.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12174
Embargo Reason
Publication Pending
Included in
Bioelectrical and Neuroengineering Commons, Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons, Orthotics and Prosthetics Commons, Other Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons