Virtual Reality Testing of FES Controllers


Virtual Reality

Overview
We are developing a biomimetic FES controller to restore the normal reaching movements of quadriplegic patients.  The FES controller will be commanded by the residual voluntary movements in the upper arm to generate control signals to the paralyzed muscles of the lower arm.  We have developed a virtual reality environment to investigate the patient’s ability to generate the appropriate command signals and to study the interactions between the patient and the FES controller.  The subjects use their voluntary upper arm movement to control the movement of a computer-simulated lower arm via a FES controller.  They observe the movements of the simulated arm from their head-centered perspective via stereoscopic goggles.

Questions/Comments
For questions or comments regarding the Virtual Reality project, please contact Rahman Davoodi (davoodi@usc.edu) or Gerald E. Loeb (gloeb@usc.edu).


Alfred Mann Institute University of Southern California