FES of Upper Extremities: Post-conference course

The workshop is structured to have a theoretical introduction and subsequent application oriented hands-on demonstrations. The workshop is planned to include continuous interactive discussion. The workshop will focus on non-invasive options for the control of paralyzed arm-hand complex after the central nervous system lesion (brain lesion, cervical lesion of the spinal cord, and similar). The workshop starts with theory describing the principle of the operation of functional activation of paralyzed muscles by means of electrical field and differences between the use of transcutaneous and implantable technologies. The results on the efficacy of FES augmented manipulation and grasping, with the emphasis on what were the limitations of the systems applied, will follow. The main questions that will be answered deal with methods to provide sufficient selectivity, minimize muscle fatigue, and have the control that matches the needs of users. The practical part will be a demonstration of the strategies and limitations of the surface activation of arm muscles to support the exercise, manipulation and exercise. The presentation will include the activation of sensory pathways for possible feedback applications. An interesting example will be described where the FES technology can be used for the reduction of tremor. The practical part will be with the new stimulators MOTIMOVE (https://www.3-x-f.com/products.php) and UNAFET stimulators used in clinical trials for therapy persons after stroke and spinal cord lesion at the cervical level

The instrumented shoe insole for rule-based control of gait in persons with hemiplegia

We describe the use of an insole with five pressure sensors having small hysteresis, an inertial measurement unit, and the circuitry for wireless synchronized communication for the rule-based control of gait. The system was tested with the multichannel electronic stimulator MOTIMOVE that can receive signals from analog and digital sensors to activate up to eight muscle groups. The rule-based control implements the heuristically determined mapping of the four joint states (blocked -B, flexion - F, extension - E, loose - L) and Gait Teacher based representation of the events and phases of the gait cycle. The four joint states can be achieved by the activation of flexors (F), extensors (E), coactivation of flexors and extensors (B), and no action (L). The feasibility of the operation was tested only in a small number of persons with hemiplegia since the stimulator certification procedure required for the full clinical study is in progres

Prosthetic hand sensor placement: Analysis of touch perception during the grasp

Humans rely on their hands to perform everyday tasks. The hand is used as a tool, but also as the interface to “sense” the world. Current prosthetic hands are based on sophisticated multi-fingered structures, and include many sensors which counterpart natural proprioceptors and exteroceptors. The sensory information is used for control, but not sent to the user of the hand (amputee). Grasping without sensing is not good enough. This research is part of the development of the sensing interface for amputees, specifically addressing the analysis of human perception while grasping. The goal is to determine the small number of preferred positions of sensors on the prosthetic hand. This task has previously been approached by trying to replicate a natural sensory system characteristic for healthy humans, resulting in a multitude of redundant sensors and basic inability to make the patient aware of the sensor readings on the subconscious level. We based our artificial perception system on the reported sensations of humans when grasping various objects without seeing the objects (obstructed visual feedback). Subjects, with no known sensory deficits, were asked to report on the touch sensation while grasping. The analysis included objects of various sizes, weights, textures and temperatures. Based on this data we formed a map of the preferred positions for the sensors that is appropriate for five finger human-like robotic hand. The final map was intentionally minimized in size (number of sensors)

Pendulum test: Quantified assessment of the type and level of spasticity in persons with central nervous system lesions

The development of a comprehensive computational model of the pendulum test which is appropriate for the analysis of the pathologic behavior of the leg in humans with the central nervous system (CNS) lesion is presented in this review. The model relates to the pendulum movement of the lower leg (shank and the foot) in the lateral plane due to the gravity and involuntary contractions of the muscles. The viscous damping and elastic stiffness reflect the soft tissues and friction in the knee joint. To quantify the pathologic activity of paralyzed muscles a reflex torque was added to the gravity generated knee joint torque. The knee joint encoder, accelerometers and gyroscopes positioned along the shank and thigh, and EMG amplifiers were used to acquire data for the illustration of the validity of the model. We show that the linear model of the movement of the lower leg is not a good representation of the motor impairment. We show that the model expanded with the reflex torque affecting the movement is well suited for the pendulum analysis. The timing of the reflex torques can be determined from the EMG recordings. © Serbian Journal of Electrical Engineering. 2018

Active hip orthosis for assisting the training of the gait in Hemiplegics

The gait restoration is a significant component of the rehabilitation of patients with hemiplegia after central nervous system lesion. The typical symptom of the disability is the lack of hip extension during the stance phase and hip flexion during the swing phase of the affected leg; therefore, asymmetry and perturbed balance while walking. We developed a new modular orthosis for assisting hip flexion and extension during the therapeutic sessions of the gait in hemiplegic individuals based on thorough analysis of the gait characteristics of normal gait. The system is designed to fit into the powered postural controller Walkaround®. The system is developed based on the estimation of torque and power requirement for the gait at speeds up to 1.1 m/s. The model used for the simulation is a known double pendulum in the sagittal plane. The kinematics and dynamics used as the input for the simulation have been recorded in the gait laboratory with eight cameras and force platforms. The system needs to be clinically evaluated before it possibly can be turned into innovation. © 2018, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science

Principal Component Analysis of Gait Kinematics Data in Acute and Chronic Stroke Patients

We present the joint angles analysis by means of the principal component analysis (PCA). The data from twenty-seven acute and chronic hemiplegic patients were used and compared with data from five healthy subjects. The data were collected during walking along a 10-meter long path. The PCA was applied on a data set consisting of hip, knee, and ankle joint angles of the paretic and the nonparetic leg. The results point to significant differences in joint synergies between the acute and chronic hemiplegic patients that are not revealed when applying typical methods for gait assessment (clinical scores, gait speed, and gait symmetry). The results suggest that the PCA allows classification of the origin for the deficit in the gait when compared to healthy subjects; hence, the most appropriate treatment can be applied in the rehabilitation

The assessment of spasticity: Pendulum test based smart phone movie of passive markers

The pendulum test is the method for quantification of the level of spasticity in persons with spinal cord and brain injuries/diseases. The data for the assessment comes from the analysis of lower leg rotation in the sagittal plane while sitting caused by gravity. We built a simple instrument that uses the smart phone and passive markers for studying the pendulum movement of the leg. We compared the results of the new device with the results acquired with the conventional apparatus which uses a knee joint angle encoder and inertial sensors mounted on the upper and lower leg. The differences of parameters estimated from the test between the two systems are in the range of 5%, which is in the same range as the precision of the positioning of the pendulum apparatus on the leg. The new system is simple for the application (donning, doffing, setup time, accuracy, repeatability) and allows a straightforward interpretation to a clinician. © Serbian Journal of Electrical Engineering. 2018

Learning Arm/Hand Coordination with an Altered Visual Input

The focus of this study was to test a novel tool for the analysis of motor coordination with an altered visual input. The altered visual input was created using special glasses that presented the view as recorded by a video camera placed at various positions around the subject. The camera was positioned at a frontal (F), lateral (L), or top (T) position with respect to the subject. We studied the differences between the arm-end (wrist) trajectories while grasping an object between altered vision (F, L, and T conditions) and normal vision (N) in ten subjects. The outcome measures from the analysis were the trajectory errors, the movement parameters, and the time of execution. We found substantial trajectory errors and an increased execution time at the baseline of the study. We also found that trajectory errors decreased in all conditions after three days of practice with the altered vision in the F condition only for 20 minutes per day, suggesting that recalibration of the visual systems occurred relatively quickly. These results indicate that this recalibration occurs via movement training in an altered condition. The results also suggest that recalibration is more difficult to achieve for altered vision in the F and L conditions compared to the T condition. This study has direct implications on the design of new rehabilitation systems

EMG map image processing for recognition of fingers movement

Electromyography (EMG) is the conventional noninvasive method for the estimation of muscle activities. We developed a new image processing method for the recognition of individual finger movements based on EMG maps. The maps were formed from the EMG recordings via an array electrode with 24 contacts connected to a multichannel wireless miniature digital amplifier. The task was to detect and quantify the high activity regions in the EMG maps in persons with no known motor impairment. The results show the temporal and spatial patterns within the images during well-defined finger movements. The average accuracy of the automatic recognition compared with the recognition by an expert clinician in persons involved in the tests was 97.87 ± 0.92%. The application of the technique is foreseen for control for an assistive system (hand prosthesis and exoskeleton) since the interface is wearable and the processing can be implemented on a microcomputer.This is the peer-reviewed version of the article: Topalović, I., Graovac, S., Popović, D.B., 2019. EMG map image processing for recognition of fingers movement. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 49, 102364. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2019.102364

E Actitrode: The new selective stimulation interface for functional movements in hemiplegics patients

We describe the new multi-contact electrode-array for surface electrical stimulation, and the corresponding interface device that allows on-line selection of the conductive fields during the application of the system. This new device has a specific value for therapeutic applications of electrical stimulation since it allows effective generation of desired functional movements. The user-friendly interface also allows patients at home to select the optimal electrode array; thereby, to receive therapies out of the clinical environment. The electrode was tested in three post-stroke hemiplegics patients. The pilot experiments showed that system works sufficiently good for control of fingers during grasp and release functions without the interference of the wrist movement. The use of electrode is also envisioned for many other applications (foot-drop fitness, shoulder subluxation, etc)