Usability and acceptance of using a lower-limb exoskeleton controlled by a BMI in incomplete spinal cord injury patients: a case study

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) limits life expectancy and causes a restriction of patient's daily activities. In the last years, robotics exoskeletons have appeared as a promising rehabilitation and assistance tool for patients with motor limitations, as people that have suffered a SCI. The usability and clinical relevance of these robotics systems could be further enhanced by brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), as they can be used to foster patients' neuroplasticity. However, there are not many studies showing the use of BMIs to control exoskeletons with patients. In this work we show a case study where one SCI patient has used a BMI based on motor imagery (MI) in order to control a lower limb exoskeleton that assists their gait.