Articles

Fast and automatic assessment of fall risk by coupling machine learning algorithms with a depth camera to monitor simple balance tasks

Falls in the elderly constitute a major health issue associated to population ageing. Current clinical tests evaluating fall risk mostly consist in assessing balance abilities. The devices used for these tests...

Authors: Amandine Dubois, Audrey Mouthon, Ranjith Steve Sivagnanaselvam and Jean-Pierre Bresciani

Comparison of vibrotactile and joint-torque feedback in a myoelectric upper-limb prosthesis

Despite the technological advancements in myoelectric prostheses, body-powered prostheses remain a popular choice for amputees, in part due to the natural sensory advantage they provide. Research on haptic fee...

Authors: Neha Thomas, Garrett Ung, Colette McGarvey and Jeremy D. Brown

A novel system for introducing precisely-controlled, unanticipated gait perturbations for the study of stumble recovery

The experimental study of stumble recovery is essential to better understanding the reflexive mechanisms that help prevent falls as well as the deficiencies in fall-prone populations. This study would benefit ...

Authors: Shane T. King, Maura E. Eveld, Andrés Martínez, Karl E. Zelik and Michael Goldfarb

Walking to your right music: a randomized controlled trial on the novel use of treadmill plus music in Parkinson’s disease

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) can compensate for the loss of automatic and rhythmic movements in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying t...

Authors: Rocco Salvatore Calabrò, Antonino Naro, Serena Filoni, Massimo Pullia, Luana Billeri, Provvidenza Tomasello, Simona Portaro, Giuseppe Di Lorenzo, Concetta Tomaino and Placido Bramanti

Rapid energy expenditure estimation for ankle assisted and inclined loaded walking

Estimating energy expenditure with indirect calorimetry requires expensive equipment and several minutes of data collection for each condition of interest. While several methods estimate energy expenditure usi...

Authors: Patrick Slade, Rachel Troutman, Mykel J. Kochenderfer, Steven H. Collins and Scott L. Delp

An augmented reality approach for ADL support in Alzheimer’s disease: a crossover trial

Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type can impair the performance of activities of daily living and therefore severely impact independent living. Assistive technologies can support such patients when carrying out da...

Authors: Nina Rohrbach, Philipp Gulde, Alan Robert Armstrong, Linda Hartig, Anas Abdelrazeq, Stefan Schröder, Johanne Neuse, Timo Grimmer, Janine Diehl-Schmid and Joachim Hermsdörfer

Model-based control for exoskeletons with series elastic actuators evaluated on sit-to-stand movements

Currently, control of exoskeletons in rehabilitation focuses on imposing desired trajectories to promote relearning of motions. Furthermore, assistance is often provided by imposing these desired trajectories ...

Authors: Jonas Vantilt, Kevin Tanghe, Maarten Afschrift, Amber K.B.D Bruijnes, Karen Junius, Joost Geeroms, Erwin Aertbeliën, Friedl De Groote, Dirk Lefeber, Ilse Jonkers and Joris De Schutter

Distal versus proximal - an investigation on different supportive strategies by robots for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Different mechanical supporting strategies to the joints in the upper extremity (UE) may lead to varied rehabilitative effects after stroke. This study compared the rehabilitation effectiveness achieved by ele...

Authors: Qiuyang QIAN, Chingyi Nam, Ziqi Guo, Yanhuan Huang, Xiaoling Hu, Stephanie C. Ng, Yongping Zheng and Waisang Poon

Kinematic synergies of hand grasps: a comprehensive study on a large publicly available dataset

Hand grasp patterns require complex coordination. The reduction of the kinematic dimensionality is a key process to study the patterns underlying hand usage and grasping. It allows to define metrics for motor ass...

Authors: Néstor J. Jarque-Bou, Alessandro Scano, Manfredo Atzori and Henning Müller

Development and validation of Comprehensive Gait Assessment using InerTial Sensor score (C-GAITS score) derived from acceleration and angular velocity data at heel and lower trunk among community-dwelling older adults

Although some gait parameters from inertial sensors have been shown to be associated with important clinical issues, because of controversial results, it remains uncertain which parameters for which axes are c...

Authors: Shogo Misu, Tsuyoshi Asai, Takehiko Doi, Ryuichi Sawa, Yuya Ueda, Shunsuke Murata, Takashi Saito, Taiki Sugimoto, Tsunenori Isa, Yamato Tsuboi, Minoru Yamada and Rei Ono

The influence of posture duration on hand tremor during tasks with attention-distraction in persons with Parkinson’s disease

Tremor is one of the hallmarks and most bothersome symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The classical PD tremor is present at rest, but postural tremor also occurs. PD tremor can be continuous or intermittent...

Authors: Anne Sofie Bøgh Malling, Bo Mohr Morberg, Lene Wermuth, Ole Gredal, Per Bech and Bente Rona Jensen

Human translingual neurostimulation alters resting brain activity in high-density EEG

Despite growing evidence of a critical link between neuromodulation technologies and neuroplastic recovery, the underlying mechanisms of these technologies remain elusive.

Authors: Zack Frehlick, Bimal Lakhani, Shaun D. Fickling, Ashley C. Livingstone, Yuri Danilov, Jonathan M. Sackier and Ryan C. N. D’Arcy

Large-scale changes in cortical dynamics triggered by repetitive somatosensory electrical stimulation

Repetitive somatosensory electrical stimulation (SES) of forelimb peripheral nerves is a promising therapy; studies have shown that SES can improve motor function in stroke subjects with chronic deficits. Howe...

Authors: April K. Hishinuma, Tanuj Gulati, Mark J. Burish and Karunesh Ganguly

Strategies to implement and monitor in-home transcranial electrical stimulation in neurological and psychiatric patient populations: a systematic review

Transcranial electrical stimulation is a promising technique to facilitate behavioural improvements in neurological and psychiatric populations. Recently there has been interest in remote delivery of stimulati...

Authors: Nandini Sandran, Susan Hillier and Brenton Hordacre

Mechanics and energetics of post-stroke walking aided by a powered ankle exoskeleton with speed-adaptive myoelectric control

Ankle exoskeletons offer a promising opportunity to offset mechanical deficits after stroke by applying the needed torque at the paretic ankle. Because joint torque is related to gait speed, it is important to...

Authors: Emily M. McCain, Taylor J. M. Dick, Tracy N. Giest, Richard W. Nuckols, Michael D. Lewek, Katherine R. Saul and Gregory S. Sawicki

Elements virtual rehabilitation improves motor, cognitive, and functional outcomes in adult stroke: evidence from a randomized controlled pilot study

Virtual reality technologies show potential as effective rehabilitation tools following neuro-trauma. In particular, the Elements system, involving customized surface computing and tangible interfaces, produces s...

Authors: Jeffrey M. Rogers, Jonathan Duckworth, Sandy Middleton, Bert Steenbergen and Peter H. Wilson

Compliant lower limb exoskeletons: a comprehensive review on mechanical design principles

Exoskeleton technology has made significant advances during the last decade, resulting in a considerable variety of solutions for gait assistance and rehabilitation. The mechanical design of these devices is a...

Authors: Maria del Carmen Sanchez-Villamañan, Jose Gonzalez-Vargas, Diego Torricelli, Juan C. Moreno and Jose L. Pons

Deficits in tapping accuracy and variability in tremor patients

The basal ganglia and cerebellum are brain structures involved in movement initiation, execution and termination. They are thought to be involved in the tremor generation and movement deficits in Parkinson’s d...

Authors: Frauke Luft, Sarvi Sharifi, Winfred Mugge, Alfred C. Schouten, Lo J. Bour, Anne-Fleur van Rootselaar, Peter H. Veltink and Tijtske Heida

Technology-aided assessments of sensorimotor function: current use, barriers and future directions in the view of different stakeholders

There is growing interest in the use of technology in neurorehabilitation, from robotic to sensor-based devices. These technologies are believed to be excellent tools for quantitative assessment of sensorimoto...

Authors: Camila Shirota, Sivakumar Balasubramanian and Alejandro Melendez-Calderon

Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training

Prosthetic hands impose a high cognitive burden on the user that often results in fatigue, frustration and prosthesis rejection. However, efforts to directly measure this burden are sparse and little is known ...

Authors: J. V. V. Parr, S. J. Vine, M. R. Wilson, N. R. Harrison and G. Wood

Correction to: Boosting robot-assisted rehabilitation of stroke hemiparesis by individualized selection of upper limb movements – a pilot study

The original article [1] contained a minor error in the following sentence in the Discussion:

Authors: Orna Rosenthal, Alan M. Wing, Jeremy L. Wyatt, David Punt, Briony Brownless, Chit Ko-Ko and R. Christopher Miall

Effects of repeated waist-pull perturbations on gait stability in subjects with cerebellar ataxia

Damage to the cerebellum can affect neural structures involved in locomotion, causing gait and balance disorders. However, the integrity of cerebellum does not seem to be critical in managing sudden and unexpe...

Authors: Federica Aprigliano, Dario Martelli, Jiyeon Kang, Sheng-Han Kuo, Un J. Kang, Vito Monaco, Silvestro Micera and Sunil K. Agrawal

Grip control and motor coordination with implanted and surface electrodes while grasping with an osseointegrated prosthetic hand

Replacement of a lost limb by an artificial substitute is not yet ideal. Resolution and coordination of motor control approximating that of a biological limb could dramatically improve the functionality of pro...

Authors: Enzo Mastinu, Francesco Clemente, Paolo Sassu, Oskar Aszmann, Rickard Brånemark, Bo Håkansson, Marco Controzzi, Christian Cipriani and Max Ortiz-Catalan

A suite of automated tools to quantify hand and wrist motor function after cervical spinal cord injury

Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) often causes chronic upper extremity disability. Reliable measurement of arm function is critical for development of therapies to improve recovery after cSCI. In this study, ...

Authors: Katelyn M. Grasse, Seth A. Hays, Kimiya C. Rahebi, Victoria S. Warren, Elizabeth A. Garcia, Jane G. Wigginton, Michael P. Kilgard and Robert L. Rennaker II

Predicting wrist kinematics from motor unit discharge timings for the control of active prostheses

Current myoelectric control algorithms for active prostheses map time- and frequency-domain features of the interference EMG signal into prosthesis commands. With this approach, only a fraction of the availabl...

Authors: Tamás Kapelner, Ivan Vujaklija, Ning Jiang, Francesco Negro, Oskar C. Aszmann, Jose Principe and Dario Farina

Muscle synergies demonstrate only minimal changes after treatment in cerebral palsy

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have altered synergies compared to typically-developing peers, reflecting different neuromuscular control strategies used to move. While these children receive a variety of tr...

Authors: Benjamin R. Shuman, Marije Goudriaan, Kaat Desloovere, Michael H. Schwartz and Katherine M. Steele

Detection of movement onset using EMG signals for upper-limb exoskeletons in reaching tasks

To assist people with disabilities, exoskeletons must be provided with human-robot interfaces and smart algorithms capable to identify the user’s movement intentions. Surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals c...

Authors: Emilio Trigili, Lorenzo Grazi, Simona Crea, Alessandro Accogli, Jacopo Carpaneto, Silvestro Micera, Nicola Vitiello and Alessandro Panarese

Don’t forget the trunk in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients: more muscle weakness and compensation than expected

Performing daily activities independently becomes more difficult in time for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) due to muscle weakness. When performing seated daily activities, the trunk plays an ...

Authors: L. H. C. Peeters, I. Kingma, J. H. van Dieën and I. J. M. de Groot

Does severity of motor impairment affect reactive adaptation and fall-risk in chronic stroke survivors?

A single-session of slip-perturbation training has shown to induce long-term fall risk reduction in older adults. Considering the spectrum of motor impairments and deficits in reactive balance after a cortical...

Authors: Tanvi Bhatt, Shamali Dusane and Prakruti Patel

Boosting robot-assisted rehabilitation of stroke hemiparesis by individualized selection of upper limb movements – a pilot study

Intensive robot-assisted training of the upper limb after stroke can reduce motor impairment, even at the chronic stage. However, the effectiveness of practice for recovery depends on the selection of the prac...

Authors: Orna Rosenthal, Alan M. Wing, Jeremy L. Wyatt, David Punt, Briony Brownless, Chit Ko-Ko and R. Christopher Miall

Long term at-home treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improves symptoms of cerebellar ataxia: a case report

Progressive cerebellar ataxia is a neurodegenerative disorder without effective treatment options that seriously hinders quality of life. Previously, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been dem...

Authors: Giuseppina Pilloni, Michael Shaw, Charles Feinberg, Ashley Clayton, Maria Palmeri, Abhishek Datta and Leigh E. Charvet

Immediate after-effects of robot-assisted gait with pelvic support or pelvic constraint on overground walking in healthy subjects

Recovery of walking is a primary rehabilitation goal of most stroke survivors. Control of pelvic movements is one of the essential determinants of gait, yet surprisingly, conventional robot-assisted gait train...

Authors: J. F. Alingh, V. Weerdesteyn, B. Nienhuis, E. H. F. van Asseldonk, A. C. H. Geurts and B. E. Groen

Energy cost of ambulation in trans-tibial amputees using a dynamic-response foot with hydraulic versus rigid ‘ankle’: insights from body centre of mass dynamics

Previous research has shown that use of a dynamic-response prosthetic foot (DRF) that incorporates a small passive hydraulic ankle device (hyA-F), provides certain biomechanical benefits over using a DRF that has...

Authors: Graham N. Askew, Laura A. McFarlane, Alberto E. Minetti and John G. Buckley

Evaluation of tremor interference with control of voluntary reaching movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease

A large population of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) displays the symptom of resting tremor. However, the extent that resting tremor may affect the performance of movement control has not been evaluate...

Authors: Zixiang Hu, Manzhao Hao, Shaoqing Xu, Qin Xiao and Ning Lan

The effect of surface inclination and limb on knee loading measures in transtibial prosthesis users

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease caused by the wearing of joint cartilage and bone. Literature has established that a prosthesis user’s intact limb is at greater risk of developing OA. This study ...

Authors: Sean S. Doyle, Edward D. Lemaire, Julie Nantel and Emily H. Sinitski

Development of a battery-free ultrasonically powered functional electrical stimulator for movement restoration after paralyzing spinal cord injury

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used to restore movements in paretic limbs after severe paralyses resulting from neurological injuries such as spinal cord injury (SCI). Most chronic FES systems util...

Authors: Monzurul Alam, Shuai Li, Rakib Uddin Ahmed, Yat Man Yam, Suman Thakur, Xiao-Yun Wang, Dan Tang, Serena Ng and Yong-Ping Zheng

Applying LDA-based pattern recognition to predict isometric shoulder and elbow torque generation in individuals with chronic stroke with moderate to severe motor impairment

Abnormal synergy is a major stroke-related movement impairment that presents as an unintentional contraction of muscles throughout a limb. The flexion synergy, consisting of involuntary flexion coupling of the...

Authors: Joseph V. Kopke, Levi J. Hargrove and Michael D. Ellis

Introducing the thematic series on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for motor rehabilitation: on the way to optimal clinical use

Authors: Rodrigo Vitório, Samuel Stuart, Leigh E. Charvet and Alan Godfrey

Novel gait training alters functional brain connectivity during walking in chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial

A recent study has demonstrated that a turning-based treadmill program yields greater improvements in gait speed and temporal symmetry than regular treadmill training in chronic stroke patients. However, it re...

Authors: I-Hsuan Chen, Yea-Ru Yang, Chia-Feng Lu and Ray-Yau Wang

Effect of the Wii Sports Resort on the improvement in attention, processing speed and working memory in moderate stroke

Stroke is the most common neurological disease in the world. After the stroke, some people suffer a cognitive disability. Commercial videogames have been used after stroke for physical rehabilitation; however,...

Authors: Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida, Ioseba Iraurgi, Nuria Ortiz-Marqués, Imanol Amayra and Silvia Martínez-Rodríguez

Quantitative assessment of cerebellar ataxia, through automated limb functional tests

Cerebellar damage can often result in disabilities affecting the peripheral regions of the body. These include poor and inaccurate coordination, tremors and irregular movements that often manifest as disorders...

Authors: Ragil Krishna, Pubudu N. Pathirana, Malcolm Horne, Laura Power and David J. Szmulewicz

Actigraph assessment for measuring upper limb activity in unilateral cerebral palsy

Detecting differences in upper limb use in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) is challenging and highly dependent on examiner experience. The recent introduction of technologies in the clinical envi...

Authors: Elena Beani, Martina Maselli, Elisa Sicola, Silvia Perazza, Francesca Cecchi, Paolo Dario, Irene Braito, Roslyn Boyd, Giovanni Cioni and Giuseppina Sgandurra

Physiological and kinematic effects of a soft exosuit on arm movements

Soft wearable robots (exosuits), being lightweight, ergonomic and low power-demanding, are attractive for a variety of applications, ranging from strength augmentation in industrial scenarios, to medical assis...

Authors: Michele Xiloyannis, Domenico Chiaradia, Antonio Frisoli and Lorenzo Masia

A quantitative taxonomy of human hand grasps

A proper modeling of human grasping and of hand movements is fundamental for robotics, prosthetics, physiology and rehabilitation. The taxonomies of hand grasps that have been proposed in scientific literature...

Authors: Francesca Stival, Stefano Michieletto, Matteo Cognolato, Enrico Pagello, Henning Müller and Manfredo Atzori

Correction to: Locomotion and cadence detection using a single trunk-fixed accelerometer: validity for children with cerebral palsy in daily life-like conditions

The original article [1] contained a minor error whereby the middle initial of Christopher J. Newman’s name was mistakenly omitted.

Authors: Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu, Christopher J. Newman, Lena Carcreff, Corinna N. Gerber, Stephane Armand and Kamiar Aminian

The FreeD module for the Lokomat facilitates a physiological movement pattern in healthy people – a proof of concept study

A contralateral pelvic drop, a transverse rotation and a lateral translation of the pelvis are essential features of normal human gait. These motions are often restricted in robot-assisted gait devices. The op...

Authors: Tabea Aurich-Schuler, Anja Gut and Rob Labruyère

Uneven terrain exacerbates the deficits of a passive prosthesis in the regulation of whole body angular momentum in individuals with a unilateral transtibial amputation

Uneven ground is a frequently encountered, yet little-studied challenge for individuals with amputation. The absence of control at the prosthetic ankle to facilitate correction for surface inconsistencies, and...

Authors: Jenny A. Kent, Kota Z. Takahashi and Nicholas Stergiou

Locomotion and cadence detection using a single trunk-fixed accelerometer: validity for children with cerebral palsy in daily life-like conditions

Physical therapy interventions for ambulatory youth with cerebral palsy (CP) often focus on activity-based strategies to promote functional mobility and participation in physical activity. The use of activity ...

Authors: Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu, Christopher J. Newman, Lena Carcreff, Corinna N. Gerber, Stephane Armand and Kamiar Aminian

Controlling a motorized orthosis to follow elbow volitional movement: tests with individuals with pathological tremor

There is a need for alternative treatment options for tremor patients who do not respond well to medications or surgery, either due to side effects or poor efficacy, or that are excluded from surgery. The stud...

Authors: Gil Herrnstadt, Martin J. McKeown and Carlo Menon

Design, development, and evaluation of a local sensor-based gait phase recognition system using a logistic model decision tree for orthosis-control

Functionality and versatility of microprocessor-controlled stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthoses (M-SCKAFO) are dictated by their embedded control systems. Proper gait phase recognition (GPR) is required to ...

Authors: Johnny D. Farah, Natalie Baddour and Edward D. Lemaire