Human–Robot Coordination Control for Sit-to-Stand Assistance in Hemiparetic Patients With Supernumerary Robotic Leg

Abstract

In light of global aging and prevalent stroke-related hemiplegia, this study addresses challenges in robot-assisted Sit-to-Stand (STS) movements, a daily activity prone to falls. Supernumerary Robotic Legs (SRL) serve as independent support, enhancing stability and limb movement range. Existing coordination control methods lack personalization for STS assistance, requiring solutions for human intent transmission and rapidly optimize coordination control challenges in the non-coupled human-robot system. The proposed human-SRL coordination control algorithm, grounded in personalized SRL-human coupling models, incorporates surface electromyography (sEMG) signals to design an intent-driven variable stiffness impedance control. The inclusion of incremental learning enables rapid optimization of impedance parameters, facilitating real-time adjustments in SRL assistance for adaptive coupling with users. Practical experiments involving both healthy participants and hemiparetic patients validate the algorithm’s effectiveness during STS. The results validate substantial reductions in STS time (39.54%) and muscle activity (28.01%), highlighting the efficacy of the proposed algorithm-controlled SRL support for hemiparetic individuals.