Closed-loop control of FES supported standing up and sitting down using Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning

Previdi F., M. Ferrarin, S.M. Savaresi, S. Bittanti

This work is focused on the design of closed-loop controllers for FES-supported standing up and sitting down. This task is a
difficult one, due to the lack of stability of the considered system and to its nonlinear dynamic behaviour. In this paper, a control
strategy based on two nested control loops is presented. The inner loop is based on a linear PID controller that stabilizes the system.
The outer loop is designed using the Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning (VRFT) strategy, that allows a fast and easy tuning of the
controller starting from a single I/O data set. Both linear and nonlinear control laws are implemented exploiting the VRFT
algorithms. Simulation results showthat the proposed technique is effective in controlling a paraplegic patient in FES-based
standing up and sitting down.

Download 2005 Contr Eng Practice – VRFT seesaw

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