A virtual reality experimental setup to explore volitional control in lower limb prostheses

Abstract Active leg prostheses can provide individuals with an amputation with motion support and thereby enable better participation in societal life. However, their versatility of use is still constrained, particularly with respect to volitional control by the user. Promising volitional control methods like employing muscle and joint model simulations to mimic human motor control are actively researched. However, experimental paradigms currently either include costly hardware setups or are limited to very simplistic virtual setups. For rapid control prototyping and facilitating the involvement of healthy participants, we propose an immersive virtual reality environment, focusing on ankle prostheses. Based on a theoretical discussion and a pilot study, we outline the potential of this method for agile development of lower limb volitional controllers.