Steer by ear: Myoelectric auricular control of powered wheelchairs for individuals with spinal cord injury
| Autor: | L. Schmalfuß, Markus Reischl, Ralf Mikut, W. Duttenhoefer, M.R. Tuga, A. Kogut, David Liebetanz, U. Eck, Manuel Hewitt, J. Meincke, Rüdiger Rupp, F. Klinker |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Computer science 0206 medical engineering Control (management) Poison control 02 engineering and technology Electromyography Quadriplegia Functional Laterality 03 medical and health sciences User-Computer Interface Young Adult 0302 clinical medicine Wheelchair Physical medicine and rehabilitation Developmental Neuroscience Feedback Sensory medicine Humans Muscle Skeletal Tetraplegia Spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injuries tv.genre medicine.diagnostic_test Obstacle course Ear Signal Processing Computer-Assisted medicine.disease 020601 biomedical engineering tv Neurology Wheelchairs Patient Satisfaction Practice Psychological Control system Physical therapy Female Neurology (clinical) 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Restorative neurology and neuroscience. 34(1) |
| ISSN: | 1878-3627 |
| Popis: | PURPOSE: Providing mobility solutions for individuals with tetraplegia remains challenging. Existing control devices have shortcomings such as varying or poor signal quality or interference with communication. To overcome these limitations, we present a novel myoelectric auricular control system (ACS) based on bilateral activation of the posterior auricular muscles (PAMs). METHODS: Ten able-bodied subjects and two individuals with tetraplegia practiced PAM activation over 4 days using visual feedback and software-based training for 1 h/day. Initially, half of these subjects were not able to voluntarily activate their PAMs. This ability was tested with regard to 8 parameters such as contraction rate, lateralized activation, wheelchair speed and path length in a virtual obstacle course. In session 5, all subjects steered an electric wheelchair with the ACS. RESULTS: Performance of all subjects in controlling their PAMs improved steadily over the training period. By day 5, all subjects successfully generated basic steering commands using the ACS in a powered wheelchair, and subjects with tetraplegia completed a complex real-world obstacle course. This study demonstrates that the ability to activate PAM on both sides together or unilaterally can be learned and used intuitively to steer a wheelchair. CONCLUSIONS: With the ACS we can exploit the untapped potential of the PAMs by assigning them a new, complex function. The inherent advantages of the ACS, such as not interfering with oral communication, robustness, stability over time and proportional and continuous signal generation, meet the specific needs of wheelchair users and render it a realistic alternative to currently available assistive technologies. Language: en |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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