Clinical impact of innovative neuroprothesis on activities of daily living (ADL): First set of users evaluations

Abstract

MUNDUS is an assistive framework for recovering direct interaction capability of severely motor impaired people based on arm reaching and hand functions that exploits any residual control of the end-user. The MUNDUS controller integrates information collected by electromyography, head/eye tracking, and brain computer interface commands. MUNDUS actuators modularly combine a lightweight and non-cumbersome exoskeleton for arm weight compensation, closed-loop controlled Neuro Muscular Electrical Stimulation for arm, hand motion and grasping of collaborative functional objects recognized by radio frequency identification. MUNDUS prototype has be tested by a first group of end-users (N=6) in different configurations depending on the users clinical conditions in order to test all the modules. Even if the end users tested until now didn’t perform the complete testing protocol, all end-users were happy of using the system and very willing to re-perform tests. They assessed a positive feedback on the system functioning.