Assessing the Effect of Cervical Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation With an Upper Limb Robotic Exoskeleton and Surface Electromyography.

Transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) is a promising rehabilitative intervention to restore motor function and coordination for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The effects of TSS are most commonly assessed by evaluating muscle response to stimulation using surface electromyography (sEMG). Given the increasing use of robotic devices to deliver therapy and the emerging potential of hybrid rehabilitation interventions that combine neuromodulation with robotic devices, there is an opportunity to leverage the on-board sensors of the robots to measure kinematic and torque changes of joints in the presence of stimulation.

Multi Degree of Freedom Hybrid FES and Robotic Control of the Upper Limb.

Individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury often require assistance to complete daily activities, and for individuals with tetraplegia, recovery of upper-limb function is among their top priorities. Hybrid functional electrical stimulation (FES) and exoskeleton systems have emerged as a potential solution to provide upper limb movement assistance. These systems leverage the user's own muscles via FES and provide additional movement support via an assistive exoskeleton.

Hybrid FES-exoskeleton control: Using MPC to distribute actuation for elbow and wrist movements.

Introduction: Individuals who have suffered a cervical spinal cord injury prioritize the recovery of upper limb function for completing activities of daily living. Hybrid FES-exoskeleton systems have the potential to assist this population by providing a portable, powered, and wearable device; however, realization of this combination of technologies has been challenging. In particular, it has been difficult to show generalizability across motions, and to define optimal distribution of actuation, given the complex nature of the combined dynamic system.

Shared Control of Elbow Movements with Functional Electrical Stimulation and Exoskeleton Assistance.

Individuals who suffer from paralysis as a result of a spinal cord injury list restoration of arm and hand function as a top priority. FES helps restore movement using the user's own muscles, but does not produce accurate and repeatable movements necessary for many functional tasks. Robots can assist users in achieving accurate and repeatable movements, but often require bulky hardware to generate the necessary torques.

Measuring Torque Production with a Robotic Exoskeleton during Cervical Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects a large number of individuals in the United States. Unfortunately, traditional neurorehabilitation therapy leaves out clinical populations with limited motor function, such as severe stroke or spinal cord injury, as they are incapable of engaging in movement therapy. To increase the numbers of individuals who may be able to participate in robotic therapy, our long-term goal is to combine two validated interventions, transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS) and robotics, to elicit upper limb movements during rehabilitation following SCI.

A Multisensory Approach to Present Phonemes as Language Through a Wearable Haptic Device.

Communication is an important part of our daily interactions; however, communication can be hindered, either through visual or auditory impairment, or because usual communication channels are overloaded. When standard communication channels are not available, our sense of touch offers an alternative sensory modality for transmitting messages. Multi-sensory haptic cues that combine multiple types of haptic sensations have shown promise for applications, such as haptic communication, that require large discrete cue sets while maintaining a small, wearable form factor.

A review of methods for achieving upper limb movement following spinal cord injury through hybrid muscle stimulation and robotic assistance.

Individuals with tetraplegia, typically attributed to spinal cord injuries (SCI) at the cervical level, experience significant health care costs and loss of independence due to their limited reaching and grasping capabilities. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a promising intervention to restore arm and hand function because it activates a person's own paralyzed muscles; however, NMES sometimes lacks the accuracy and repeatability necessary to position the limb for functional tasks, and repeated muscle stimulation can lead to fatigue. Robotic devices have the potential to restore function when used as assistive devices to supplement or replace limited or lost function of the upper limb following SCI.

Multi-Sensory Stimuli Improve Distinguishability of Cutaneous Haptic Cues.

Wearable haptic systems offer portable, private tactile communication to a human user. To date, advances in wearable haptic devices have typically focused on the optimization of haptic cue transmission using a single modality, or have combined two types of cutaneous feedbacks, each mapped to a particular parameter of the task. Alternatively, researchers have employed arrays of haptic tactile actuators to maximize information throughput to a user.