Stiffness decoding methods for prosthetics: a comparison in simulation

Movement originates from the central nervous system, which changes the mechanical impedance of the neuromuscular system by acting as a kind of adaptive parameter control. Variable stiffness increases the complexity of many aspects of a prosthesis, raising the question of whether variable stiffness can benefit the user or whether fixed stiffness would always be preferable. To investigate this aspect, we compare stiffness and position decoding techniques in simulation.