Motion Intention Prediction and Joint Trajectories Generation Toward Lower Limb Prostheses Using EMG and IMU Signals

Abstract

Powered intelligent lower limb prostheses have been gaining interest as they provide functionality for walking on different terrains. This study proposes a hierarchical planner for intelligent lower limb prostheses based on sensor fusion and a central pattern generator (CPG). Electromyographic (EMG) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) signals were recorded and fused in the feature and decision levels. The high-level planner consists of cascade classifiers with a gait phase dependence. A secondary classifier for each stand phase and swing phase was developed to recognize five gait patterns. The mid-level planner was designed as a walking frequency estimator based on the Newton method. The low-level planner incorporates the CPG models, achieving the planning of lower limb joint trajectories. The proposed layered planner can recognize the users’ walking intention and gait speed in real-time, ensuring coordination between the joints of both legs. Eight healthy subjects were recruited, and the average accuracy of motion pattern recognition reached 99.13% and 99.39% for the standing and swing phases, respectively. The relative root mean square error (RMSE) of the walking frequency estimate was 2.3% under approximately 3.5 m/s gait speed. The promising results indicate that this method effectively predicts the continuous joint angle for lower limb prostheses.