Development of controller for Passive Control Ankle Foot Orthoses (PICAFO) based on Electromyography (EMG) signal and angle

Ankle Foot Orthoses is a supportive equipment attached to the lower part of the leg to support patient´s walking posture, gait. It has been developed for several years using many kinds of actuator that can be controlled electronically. In this paper, a controller development by experiment for Passive Control Ankle Foot Orthoses (PICAFO) is presented. A Fuzzy Logic Controller is proposed to control the system due to its ability to model human decision process. The proposed inputs to control system are the EMG signal for state identification and the angle for torque identification. The controller is expected to produce sufficient current for Magnetorheological (MR) brake to change its stiffness in order to support patient´s gait.