Cycling Controlled by Functional Electrical Stimulation
FES can also be applied to the muscles of the legs to generate a cycling motion. Cycling is especially effective as an exercise and rehabilitation task due to its repetitiveness and its similarity in muscle coordination to walking. The problem is still the highly time-varying, uncertain, nonlinear, and hybrid nature of the system, though the hybrid aspect comes through in a different way. The question becomes, “When should which muscles be active, and how does that affect pedaling performance and stability?” We also plan to incorporate an electric motor for assistance in cycling, which will magnify the hybrid characteristics of the system.