Energy-Efficient FES Cycling with Quadriceps Stimulation

This paper discusses the use of energy storage device to assist FES-cycling for paraplegics and at the same time to eliminate the dead points of the pedal cycle. Implementation of an energy storage device has many desirable influences on FES-cycling. In this study, simple elastic cables are used as energy storage device. Elastic cables can store elastic potential energy due to either compression or stretching. They can be used to improve the performance of FES-cycling especially when only one muscle group is stimulated. In this method excess energy of quadriceps muscle is saved and released at appropriate time of cycling. This subsequently reduces the number of stimulation channels required.