A programmable and portable NMES device for drop foot correction and blood flow assist applications

Paul P. Breen, Gavin J. Corley, Derek T. O'Keeffe, Richard Conway, Gearóid ÓLaighin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Duo-STIM, a new, programmable and portable neuromuscular stimulation system for drop foot correction and blood flow assist applications is presented. The system consists of a programmer unit and a portable, programmable stimulator unit. The portable stimulator features fully programmable, sensor-controlled, constant-voltage, dual-channel stimulation and accommodates a range of customized stimulation profiles. Trapezoidal and free-form adaptive stimulation intensity envelope algorithms are provided for drop foot correction applications, while time dependent and activity dependent algorithms are provided for blood flow assist applications. A variety of sensor types can be used with the portable unit, including force sensitive resistor-based foot switches and MEMS-based accelerometer and gyroscope devices. The paper provides a detailed description of the hardware and block-level system design for both units. The programming and operating procedures for the system are also presented. Finally, functional bench test results for the system are presented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)400-408
Number of pages9
JournalMedical Engineering and Physics
Volume31
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2009

Keywords

  • Adaptive stimulation
  • Blood flow
  • Drop foot
  • Electrical stimulation
  • NMES
  • Portable
  • Programmable
  • Rehabilitation
  • Stimulator

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