MOTION CONTROL OF THE RABBIT ANKLE JOINT WITH A FLAT INTERFACE NERVE ELECTRODE

Introduction: A flat interface nerve electrode (FINE) has been shown to improve fascicular and subfascicular selectivity. A recently developed novel control algorithm for FINE was applied to motion control of the rabbit ankle. Methods: A 14-contact FINE was placed on the rabbit sciatic nerve (n = 8), and ankle joint motion was controlled for sinusoidal trajectories and filtered random trajectories. To this end, a real-time controller was implemented with a multiple-channel current stimulus isolator. Results: The performance test results showed good tracking performance of rabbit ankle joint motion for filtered random trajectories and sinusoidal trajectories (0.5 HZ and 1.0 HZ) with < 10% average root-mean-square (RMS) tracking error, whereas the average range of ankle joint motion was between -20.0 +/- 9.3 degrees and 18.1 +/- 8.8 degrees. Conclusions: The proposed control algorithm enables the use of a multiple-contact nerve electrode for motion trajectory tracking control of musculoskeletal systems.