| Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Although 90% of people who survive from a stroke (individuals after stroke) regain their ability to walk with or without aid, about 65% of all individuals after stroke are not able to use their paretic hand. Presently, there are no effective therapeutic methods that can successfully restore hand function in moderately to severely impaired individuals with stroke. Exploring the usage of a Neural-Machine-Interface (NMI) together with Neural Electrical Stimulation (NES) as a neuroprosthesis that provides an artificial means to regain hand function would therefore be highly beneficial to this population.
NMIs are devices that detect user intent and convert the associated neural activity into control commands. NES devices stimulate various muscles to generate muscle activation and consequently functional movements. Specifically, our goal is to design and translate NMI and NES techniques for regaining basic hand function following Stroke.
We are currently designing and building a prototype NMI+FES system for the testing of scientific/clinical questions, such as better understanding user’s requirements, testing feasibility, sensitivity and specificity as a rehabilitation tool, and so on.
 
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