Journal: IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering

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IEEE

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1534-4320
1558-0210

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Publications1 - 10 of 25
  • Real-Time Closed-Loop Control of Cognitive Load in Neurological Patients During Robot-Assisted Gait Training
    Item type: Journal Article
    Koenig, Alexander; Novak, Domen; Omlin, Ximena; et al. (2011)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Interfacing With the Peripheral Nervous System to Develop Innovative Neuroprostheses
    Item type: Journal Article
    Micera, Silvestro; Navarro, Xavier; Yoshida, Ken (2009)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Kinematic Assessment of Upper Limb Movements Using the ArmeoPower Robotic Exoskeleton
    Item type: Journal Article
    Knill, Anna Sophie; Studer, Bettina; Wolf, Peter; et al. (2024)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    After a neurological injury, neurorehabilitation aims to restore sensorimotor function of patients. Technological assessments can provide high-quality data on a patient’s performance and support clinical decision making towards the most appropriate therapy. In this study, the ArmeoPower, a robotic exoskeleton for the upper extremities, was used to assess 12 neurological patients and 31 non-disabled participants performing various standardized single joint and frontal plane game-like exercises. From the collected data, kinematic metrics (End-Point Error, Hand-Path Ratio, reaction time, stability, Number of Velocity Peaks, peak, and mean Velocity) and the game score, were calculated and analyzed according to three criteria: the reliability (a), the difference between patients and non-disabled participants (b), as well as the influence of robotic movement assistance (c). In total, 39 metrics were analyzed and the following five most promising assessment variables for different exercises could be identified based on the three above-mentioned criteria: smoothness (RainMug (wrist)), mean speed (RainMug (wrist)), reaction time (Goalkeeper), maximum speed (HighFlyer (elbow)) and accuracy (Connect the dots), with the former showing good validity (rho=0.82, p=0.02) when comparing to the patient’s severity level. The results demonstrate feasibility to extract and analyze various kinematic metrics from the ArmeoPower, which can provide quantitative information about human performance during training and therapy. The generated data increases the understanding of the patient’s movement and can be used in the future in clinical research for better performance evaluation and providing more feedback options, leading towards a more personalized and patient-centric therapy.
  • A Method for Using Neurofeedback to Guide Mental Imagery for Improving Motor Skill
    Item type: Journal Article
    Riahi, Nader; Ruth, William; D'Arcy, Ryan C.N.; et al. (2023)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    Mental imagery (MI) is gaining attention as a strategy towards endogenous brain stimulation for improving motor skill. Neurofeedback (NF) is commonly used to guide MI in order to activate the relevant brain networks. The current study investigates an individualized EEG-based method for NF through broad consideration of interactions between different brain networks. We selected the change in brain functional connectivity (FC) as an objective neurophysiological measure of change in motor skill during a longitudinal physical training (PT) program. Digital tracing tasks were developed for skill training and the spatial error in tracing was used to gauge the change in skill. We used partial least squares algorithms to find the most robust contributing networks towards correlation between the resting state FC and the acquired motor skill. We used the network with the largest margin for increasing FC as the candidate for NF training while experimenting with MI during a neurofeedback training program. The participant was informed of the changes in instantaneous FC through real-time audio feedback to help guide the MI. We showed over 20% reduction in tracing error through neurofeedback training alone, without any additional PT. We also showed retention of improvement in skill for several days after the completion of neurofeedback training. Our proposed methodology shows promise for a highly individualized approach towards improvement in motor skill. Given that EEG is an accessible health and wellness technology, such a method could provide a practical complementary option towards personalized therapeutic strategies to improve motor function.
  • A robotic platform to assess, guide and perturb rat forelimb movements
    Item type: Journal Article
    Vigaru, Bogdan; Lambercy, Olivier; Schubring-Giese, Maximilian; et al. (2013)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    Animal models are widely used to explore the mechanisms underlying sensorimotor control and learning. However, current experimental paradigms allow only limited control over task difficulty and cannot provide detailed information on forelimb kinematics and dynamics. Here we propose a novel robotic device for use in motor learning investigations with rats. The compact, highly transparent, three degree-of-freedom manipulandum is capable of rendering nominal forces of 2 N to guide or perturb rat forelimb movements, while providing objective and quantitative assessments of endpoint motor performance in a 50×30 mm 2 planar workspace. Preliminary experiments with six healthy rats show that the animals can be familiarized with the experimental setup and are able to grasp and manipulate the end-effector of the robot. Further, dynamic perturbations and guiding force fields (i.e., haptic tunnels) rendered by the device had significant influence on rat motor behavior (ANOVA, ). This approach opens up new research avenues for future characterizations of motor learning stages, both in healthy and in stroke models.
  • Simultaneous Control of 2DOF Upper-Limb Prosthesis With Body Compensations-Based Control: A Multiple Cases Study
    Item type: Journal Article
    Legrand, Mathilde; Marchand, Charlotte; Richer, Florian; et al. (2022)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    Controlling several joints simultaneously is a common feature of natural arm movements. Robotic prostheses shall offer this possibility to their wearer. Yet, existing approaches to control a robotic upper-limb prosthesis from myoelectric interfaces do not satisfactorily respond to this need: standard methods provide sequential joint-by-joint motion control only; advanced pattern recognition-based approaches allow the control of a limited subset of synchronized multi-joint movements and remain complex to set up. In this paper, we exploit a control method of an upper-limb prosthesis based on body motion measurement called Compensations Cancellation Control (CCC). It offers a straightforward simultaneous control of the intermediate joints, namely the wrist and the elbow. Four transhumeral amputated participants performed the Refined Rolyan Clothespin Test with an experimental prosthesis alternatively running CCC and conventional joint-by-joint myoelectric control. Task performance, joint motions, body compensations and cognitive load were assessed. This experiment shows that CCC restores simultaneity between prosthetic joints while maintaining the level of performance of conventional myoelectric control (used on a daily basis by three participants), without increasing compensatory motions nor cognitive load.
  • Digital Emulation of Pulse Frequency Modulation for Neuroprosthetic Sensory Feedback
    Item type: Journal Article
    Abbott, Jake J.; Meek, Sanford G. (2007)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Safe Local Navigation for Visually Impaired Users with a Time-of-Flight and Haptic Feedback Device
    Item type: Journal Article
    Katzschmann, Robert K.; Araki, Brandon; Rus, Daniela (2018)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    This paper presents ALVU (Array of Lidars and Vibrotactile Units), a contactless, intuitive, hands-free, and discreet wearable device that allows visually impaired users to detect low- and high-hanging obstacles, as well as physical boundaries in their immediate environment. The solution allows for safe local navigation in both confined and open spaces by enabling the user to distinguish free space from obstacles. The device presented is composed of two parts: a sensor belt and a haptic strap. The sensor belt is an array of time-of-flight distance sensors worn around the front of a user's waist, and the pulses of infrared light provide reliable and accurate measurements of the distances between the user and surrounding obstacles or surfaces. The haptic strap communicates the measured distances through an array of vibratory motors worn around the user's upper abdomen, providing haptic feedback. The linear vibration motors are combined with a point-loaded pretensioned applicator to transmit isolated vibrations to the user. We validated the device's capability in an extensive user study entailing 162 trials with 12 blind users. Users wearing the device successfully walked through hallways, avoided obstacles, and detected staircases.
  • Complexity Optimisation and High-Throughput Low-Latency Hardware Implementation of a Multi-Electrode Spike-Sorting Algorithm
    Item type: Journal Article
    Dragas, Jelena; Jäckel, David; Hierlemann, Andreas; et al. (2015)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    Reliable real-time low-latency spike sorting with large data throughput is essential for studies of neural network dynamics and for brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), in which the stimulation of neural networks is based on the networks' most recent activity. However, the majority of existing multi-electrode spike-sorting algorithms are unsuited for processing high quantities of simultaneously recorded data. Recording from large neuronal networks using large high-density electrode sets (thousands of electrodes) imposes high demands on the data-processing hardware regarding computational complexity and data transmission bandwidth; this, in turn, entails demanding requirements in terms of chip area, memory resources and processing latency.
  • Changes in Kinematic and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters With a Biarticular Lower Limb Exosuit for Adolescents With Crouch Gait During Level Walking and Stair Climbing
    Item type: Journal Article
    Basla, Chiara; Dürrenberger, Philippe; Wolf, Peter; et al. (2025)
    IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
    Crouch gait is a prevalent walking abnormality among children with cerebral palsy, characterized by excessive knee and hip flexion during walking. This condition often limits children's engagement in physical activities and daily life. Current exoskeleton solutions targeting the knee joint in this population are either tethered or bulky, hindering practical integration into daily routines. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the impact of a biarticular cable-driven exosuit, originally designed for adults, on the gait pattern of adolescents with crouch gait. Participants completed level walking and stair climbing trials under three conditions: without the exosuit (noMyo), with the exosuit inactive (MyoOff), and with the exosuit active (MyoOn). Kinematic and spatiotemporal gait metrics were analyzed using 3D motion capture. Five male adolescents with mild to moderate crouch participated. Results revealed significant improvements in mean knee and hip extension during the assisted phase (5 to 50% of the gait) with MyoOn compared to noMyo, increasing by 6 (range: 0 - 12) and 12 (range: 4 - 24) degrees, respectively, during level walking. During stair climbing, knee and hip extension improved in the stance phase of the trailing leg in the MyoOn condition compared to MyoOff. Only the hip angles improved in the MyoOn condition compared to noMyo. Spatiotemporal metrics showed no improvement. Stride length shortened significantly in both MyoOn and MyoOff. These findings demonstrate the exosuit's potential to address extension deficits in crouch gait, although its weight may limit improvements in spatiotemporal gait characteristics. Developing a lighter, child-specific version could expand accessibility to a broader pediatric population.
Publications1 - 10 of 25