Neuromotor Recovery Based on BCI, FES, Virtual Reality and Augmented Feedback for Upper Limbs
Recently investigated rehabilitative practices involving Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) techniques provided long-lasting benefits after short-term recovering programs. The prevalence of this revolutionary approa
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Abstract Recently investigated rehabilitative practices involving Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) techniques provided long-lasting benefits after short-term recovering programs. The prevalence of this revolutionary approach received a boost from virtual reality and augmented reality, which contribute to the brain neuroplasticity improvement and can be used in neurorehabilitation and treatment of motor/mental disorders. This work presents a therapy system for stroke rehabilitation based on these techniques. The novelty of the proposed system consists of including an eye tracking device that detects the patient’s vigilance during exercises and warns if patient is not focused on the items of interest from the virtual environment. This additional feature improves the level of user involvement and makes him/her conscious of the rehabilitation importance and pace. Moreover, the system architecture is reconfigurable, and the functionalities are specified by software. The laboratory tests have validated the system from a technical point of view, and preliminary results from the clinical tests have highlighted the system’s quick accommodation to the proposed therapy and fast progress for each user.
1 Introduction Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery and helps the patient to become more independent after a stroke or a motor/mental disorder. In the last decade, the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), the Virtual Reality (VR) and the Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) techniques are widely used in more complex and efficiently R. G. Lupu (B) · F. Ungureanu Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering Department, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Dimitrie Mangeron 27, 700050 Iasi, Romania e-mail: [email protected] O. Ferche · A. Moldoveanu Computer Engineering Department, “Politehnica” University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 C. Guger et al. (eds.), Brain–Computer Interface Research, SpringerBriefs in Electrical and Computer Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49583-1_8
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systems aiming to bolster the rehabilitation process. In this context, different specific devices became affordable, and many research groups and health institutions are focused on motor, cognitive or speech recovery after stroke (Stroke Centre from Johns Hopkins Institute0, ENIGMA-Stroke Recovery, StrokeBack) [1–3]. In this paper, we present an affordable system for recovery of patients with neuromotor impairments following strokes, traumas or brain surgery. It relies on a brand new idea—recovery through augmented and magnified feedback—that creates new, distinct possibilities to overcome block stages typical to early recovery, to stimulate recovery through neuroplasticity. The system was customised and tested for upperlimb recovery but can be tailored for any other particular purpose. Another own idea of our approach is that the tasks a
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