Fig. 5

Codes of the category Technical characteristics (n = 15). This category comprises requirements that can translate directly into technical characteristics of the device and is the second largest one. Most of the codes within this category are expressed by at least 30% of the clinicians and two codes were only expressed by these users: (1) the possibility to adjust the device to each patient for rehabilitation and (2) to record and use the data gathered by the exoskeleton as feedback of the rehabilitation. Other codes with high agreement, expressed mostly by e-SCI and clinicians include: lowering the weight of the device and making it less cumbersome, easy donning and doffing (with the highest agreement among clinicians, given that this is essential to make the use of technologies viable during rehabilitation), and having a device that can be fitted to the body of each patient and able to adapt to the changing needs during the rehabilitation process. This is a new code and is the one with the highest agreement among all groups in this category. Additionally, mostly clinicians referred to the need of increasing the duration of the battery of the device and of improving the interaction of the devices with the surroundings by adding feedback in the control loop to allow the device to adapt. Almost one third of n-SCI considered important the device’s aesthetics, whereas no e-SCI talked about this. Interestingly, one code in this category is the mistaken expectation of some patients that exoskeletons will be embedded inside their bodies, an inconsistency with the definition of these devices showing that some patients expect long-lasting surgical aids or treatments for their rehabilitation instead of external tools for occasional use. Six (6) new codes emerged in this category, only two of them have not been addressed in this section: some users expect exoskeletons to provide trunk support and assist trunk movement, and some clinicians and e-SCI consider that combining exoskeletons with other technologies such as functional electrical stimulation (FES) or brain-computer interfaces (BCI) has advantages for users