Concurrent validity of instrumented insoles measuring gait and balance metrics in Parkinson's disease.

Several commercially available instrumented insole systems have been examined for validity and repeatability, but very few studies have focused on validation of the Moticon OpenGo sensor insoles in measuring gait and balance parameters in a clinical population. Given the paucity of studies examining the validity of these novel technologies in PD, there were two main goals of this research: (1) assess the concurrent validity of the Moticon OpenGo sensor insoles for gait and balance assessment in people with PD using a pressure-sensitive electronic walkway (Protokinetics Zeno™ walkway) as a reference system and (2) compare the gait metrics derived from the insole and walkway systems during a walking and turning task in order to assess the output of the systems under more real-world conditions. Twelve participants (5F/7M; mean age 71.

A Roadmap Towards Standards for Neurally Controlled End Effectors.

The control and manipulation of various types of end effectors such as powered exoskeletons, prostheses, and 'neural' cursors by brain-machine interface (BMI) systems has been the target of many research projects. A seamless "plug and play" interface between any BMI and end effector is desired, wherein similar user's intent cause similar end effectors to behave identically. This report is based on the outcomes of an IEEE Standards Association Industry Connections working group on End Effectors for Brain-Machine Interfacing that convened to identify and address gaps in the existing standards for BMI-based solutions with a focus on the end-effector component.

Brain-machine interfaces for controlling lower-limb powered robotic systems.

Objective: Lower-limb, powered robotics systems such as exoskeletons and orthoses have emerged as novel robotic interventions to assist or rehabilitate people with walking disabilities. These devices are generally controlled by certain physical maneuvers, for example pressing buttons or shifting body weight. Although effective, these control schemes are not what humans naturally use.

Risk management and regulations for lower limb medical exoskeletons: a review.

Gait disability is a major health care problem worldwide. Powered exoskeletons have recently emerged as devices that can enable users with gait disabilities to ambulate in an upright posture, and potentially bring other clinical benefits. In 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of the ReWalk™ Personal Exoskeleton as a class II medical device with special controls.