Neuroprosthesis can be used to restore lost motor functions for paraplegicsby using functional electrical
stimulation (FES). Neuroprosthesis controllers determine the relationship between the stimulation pulses
and joint angles to generate electric
al stimulation patterns for the desired movement.To develop
intelligent controllers, an inverse model which is the basic component of the intelligent controller is built
by using empirical approaches to get a data set that consists of input (stimulation pulses) and output (joint
angles). Because of the numerous exhausting experiments on patients and the need for repetition during
Controller design, this study uses modeling and simulation to generate the data setthrough developing
humanoid model, and simulating practical trials of quadriceps stimulation during swing leg movement.
We connected three programs to develop a humanoid model by building: body segments in Visual
Nastran 4D, muscles in Virtual Muscle 4.0.1, and passive joint properties in Matlab/ Simulink. Then the
humanoid model was used to producethe identification data sets, through applying sinusoidal and random
signals to simulate the stimulation of the knee extensors.
The humanoid model can fit different users by using a number of graphical user interface screens to
change the human and muscles parameters, so it is a generic model. It can be used in developing
controllers to restore lost movement such as standing up, walking, jumping, etc.
The simulation results is similar to practical trials, so using the developed model can reduce the number
of experimental tests to be performed with patients during Neuroprosthesis controllers design.