Abstract
In this research, we describe a new balancing device used to stabilize the rear quarters of a patient dog with spinal cord injuries. Our approach uses inertial measurement sensing and direct leg actuation to lay a foundation for eventual muscle control by means of direct functional electrical stimulation (FES). During this phase of development, we designed and built a mechanical test-bed to develop the control and stimulation algorithms before we use the device on our animal subjects. We designed the bionic test-bed to mimic the typical walking gait of a dog and use it to develop and test the functionality of the balancing device for stabilization of patient dogs with hindquarter paralysis. We present analysis for various muscle stimulation and balancing strategies, and our device can be used by veterinarians to tailor the stimulation strength and temporal distribution for any individual patient dog. We develop stabilizing muscle stimulation strategies using the robotic test-bed to enhance walking stability. We present experimental results using the bionic test-bed to demonstrate that the balancing device can provide an effective sensing strategy and deliver the required motion control commands for stabilizing an actual dog with a spinal cord injury.
Highlights
We develop and use this robotic test-bed to completely remove the need for a real animal during our initial experiments, and to provide a system for tailoring the functional electrical stimulation (FES) inputs to a particular animal using the mechanical testbed
We use six terms of Fourier series for all joints to mimic the gait of the dog with our bionic test-bed and with highest possible accuracy that our system can provide we have proved the three terms are appropriate enough for mimicking dog walking gait
We showed a compact and efficient Arduino microcontroller can be used as the core of our balancing device
Summary
Most quadrupeds develop their walking ability at an early age. The animal generates the forces necessary for movement using the flexor and extensor muscles. While the brain generates the signals required for balance and walking, the spinal cord plays a key role in transmission of signals and activation of the walking muscles that produce specific patterns for swing and stance. If the spinal cord is damaged, the animal may lose its ability to walk or maintain balance [1]. Spinal cord injuries are widely recognized as one of the most debilitating injuries in both animals and humans
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