Time:  July 20th 10:30-11:30
Place : Seminar Room 2026 (Karlstr. 45)
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Title: Cooperative Shared Control of Hybrid FES-Exoskeleton

Abstract: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a lightweight wearable technology that assists functional movement by directly activating muscles through electrical stimulation and has significant potential for neurorehabilitation and activities of daily living. However, the neuromuscular response to FES is highly user- and state-dependent, making accurate control challenging due to nonlinear muscle dynamics, fatigue, discomfort, and delayed muscle activation. These challenges become even more pronounced in hybrid FES-exoskeleton systems, where voluntary muscle activity, FES-induced contractions, and robotic actuation simultaneously contribute to movement. This talk presents a cooperative shared-control framework that combines electromyography (EMG), participant-specific neuromuscular modeling, and dynamic control allocation to coordinate these complementary sources of actuation. It highlights recent developments in EMG-based estimation of the user's voluntary contribution despite stimulation artifacts, participant-specific neuromuscular modeling for FES control, and cooperative shared-control strategies that dynamically coordinate assistance between FES and robotic actuation according to user participation, actuator capabilities, and rehabilitation objectives.

#neuromuscular #exoskeleton #robotic #electromyography