Open-Source Leg

Publicly Available Controllers

Free to download, safe, and ready to use controllers created by and for our community

We wholeheartedly encourage you to explore these controllers developed by various research groups within our community. They offer a unique opportunity to compare, contrast, and perhaps even inspire your work. Furthermore, they provide an excellent example of what a well-crafted controller looks like, serving as a practical guide for those new to the field.

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Data-Driven Variable Impedance Control for Variable ActivitiesOur Locomotor Control Systems Lab has pioneered a new approach utilizing a phase variable and continuous impedance parameter functions in lieu of a finite state machine. We use convex optimization to automatically identify optimal impedance parameter functions, resulting in biomimetic joint kinematics and kinetics without manual tuning. Our controller allows a user to sit, stand, and walk across level ground, and it automatically handles switching between walking and sit/stand modes. Potential uses of this software release include but are not limited to: using our controller as a comparison point for a novel walking controller; using our controller as a component in a larger, more complex controller; using our controller when researching other related topics, such as balance or metabolic cost.
Citation: T. K. Best, C. G. Welker, E. J. Rouse and R. D. Gregg, 'Data-Driven Variable Impedance Control of a Powered Knee–Ankle Prosthesis for Adaptive Speed and Incline Walking,' in IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 2151-2169, June 2023, doi: 10.1109/TRO.2022.3226887
License: Polyform Non-Commercial
© 2022 The Regents of the University of Michigan, Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory

T. K. Best, C. G. Welker, and R. D. Gregg

Dec 20th, 2023

Myoelectric Control for User-directed ActivitiesOut of the ROAM Lab at the University of Notre Dame, Ryan Posh has designed and compared multiple novel control approaches for robotic lower-limb prostheses. Among these is Hybrid Volitional Control, which makes use of a direct myoelectric controller as a subcomponent. This myoelectric control component, available here for both knee-ankle and ankle-only configurations, allows users to control the Open-Source Leg with any agonist-antagonist muscle pair (e.g. the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior). This component has been shown to enable a wide variety of user-directed activities, including biomimetic walking, standing on tip-toes, and tapping the foot, leading to high overall satisfaction for individuals with amputation [citation below]. Potential uses of this software release include but are not limited to: using our controller as a comparison point for a novel walking controller; using our controller as a component in a larger, more complex controller like Hybrid Volitional Control; using our controller when researching other related topics, such as human-robot interaction, prosthesis user preference, or fatigue. This software may also be used for other Raspberry Pi projects that would like to incorporate low-cost electromyography.
Citation: R. R. Posh, J. P. Schmiedeler, and P. M. Wensing, “Finite-state impedance and direct myoelectric control for robotic ankle prostheses: Comparing their performance and exploring their combination,” IEEE T Neur Sys Reh, vol. 31, pp. 2778–2788, 2023.
License: Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v2.1
© 2024 The University of Notre Dame, Robotics, Optimization, and Assistive Mobility (ROAM) Lab

R.R. Posh, J.A. Tittle, J.P.Schmiedeler, P.W. Wensing

May 12th, 2024

More controllers coming soon.

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We're constantly on the lookout for amazing controllers to feature within our community. If you've developed a controller and are interested in sharing it with our enthusiastic community, we invite you to explore our API and examples as a starting point. You can then reach out to us for assistance. We're committed to helping you craft your controller in a manner that ensures it's not only shareable and user-friendly, but also maintains the highest standards of safety.

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