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In an embedded computing landscape that inexorably leans into heterogeneity, System-on-Chips (SoCs) featuring tightly integrated Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are bound to proliferate. In particular, such architectures’ high degree of flexibility and control caters well to the real-time\ community. Despite the appeal, real-time research exploiting HW/SW co-design on such architectures has remained tepid. While the usual suspects, such as the complexity of Hardware Description Languages, can be blamed, recent advancements in tooling (e.g., languages, frameworks) have proven efficient in easing the design of FPGA-located accelerators. However, in the context of SoC with FPGA platforms, these solutions fall short of addressing the next hurdle: integrating the custom accelerators with the rest of the SoC, which requires the tedious implementation of various supporting software resources. This article presents the first iteration of the UltraScale+ SpinalHDL Wrapper; a SpinalHDL library dedicated to supporting HW/SW co-design on SoC with FPGA platforms. The support ranges from assisting during the design of accelerators to automatically inferring and generating ready-to-use software support, such as Linux Kernel modules and Vivado deployment scripts.
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Embedded control system for stimulation-driven exoskeleton
This paper presents the design and deployment of a modular, portable and inexpensive embedded control system architecture for the hybrid neuroprosthesis (HNP). It consist of a suite of custom designed electronic hardware and firmware to provide wireless connectivity for close-loop control with mechanical exoskeletal constraints and neural stimulation with provisions for power assist to restore locomotion functions for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The design philosophy, methodology, and implementation are described and discussed in details. Bench testing and subject experimentation have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the HNP system. We conclude that the embedded control system meets the technical requirements and design criteria, and can thus be considered as a potential reference design for generic biomedical research and clinical deployment in the neuroprosthetic and exoskeleton fields.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1739800
- PAR ID:
- 10073903
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Symposium on Medical Robotics
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 6
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMR.2018.8333294
