Evolving Fuzzy Models for Prosthetic Hand Myoelectric-Based Control

This article applies an incremental online identification algorithm to develop a set of evolving fuzzy models (FMs) that characterize the nonlinear finger dynamics of the human hand for the myoelectric (ME)-based control of a prosthetic hand. The FM inputs are the ME signals obtained from eight ME sensors and past inputs and/or outputs. The FM outputs are the finger angles, considered here as the midcarpal joint angles, to ensure their control. The best evolving FMs that characterize each of the five fingers are described with the results validated on real data. Simple second-order linear models are next given to enable the cost-effective controller design. Five separate control loops are proposed, with proportional-integral (PI) controllers separately tuned by a frequency-domain approach. Simple PI-fuzzy controllers are designed starting with the linear PI controllers to ensure the control system performance improvement. The evolving FMs are used to simulate accurately the behavior of the human hand. Digital simulation results are included to show the effectiveness of the PI-fuzzy controllers and the performance improvement in comparison to the initial PI ones.