Experimental Results and Design Considerations for FES-Assisted Transfer for People with Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Sitting Pivot Transfers (SPT) are key factors for enabling independence of individuals with paraplegia. However, repetitive instances of SPT may lead to overload of upper limbs, possibly causing pain and injury. In this work, we explore the use of electrical stimulation during the lift pivot phase in order to reduce the overload on upper limbs. First, an experimental set-up was developed to investigate the use of multiple interface modalities for controlling the applied electrical stimuli. Then, the set-up was used in a study involving 5 subjects with paraplegia. The results indicate the load reduction on upper limbs.