Technology

Present Problems with FES

• Low flexibility: products are designed for very specific purposes and functions, and therefore cater to a very small percentage of the           patient population.
• Inefficient: although electrical stimulation techniques have shown the capacity to generate movement in denervated, spastic and even completely paralysed muscles, these induce much higher neuromuscular fatigue than natural human movement.
• High complexity: systems have been conceived with the experts in the field of FES in mind, not the user who would actually benefit from the product.
• Expensive: the cost for units is often in the range of several thousand US dollars. These are not affordable prices for the everyday user.

What we have done?

We have tried to address each of the problems above by use of different technologies. Our aim is to promote and advance FES applications and research so that more and more people can avail the benefits from this exciting field.

How have we done this?

In order to ensure versatility and simplicity, we have divided high-level and low-level functions through use of a Linux board and an FPGA.

• System has been designed such that a Web App can be created to easily control the nature of the signal to be sent, even if the user has little or no knowledge of electronics or coding.
• Moreover, an Open Source Collaboration Platform (OSCP) is envisioned where the user would not even require generating his own signals; they would exist already on this platform and the user only needs to download the required ones.
• Latest Linux board running a full Debian architecture. Allows for efficient execution of not only high-level tasks but also of control algorithms to permit effective use of our product.

For more information visit Resources.

• Fully programmable: we give the freedom to program individual pulses. This is of particular interest for researchers who want to determine the effect of individual pulse shapes on muscle response.
• Wi-Fi capability: It is the 21st century. A device without Wi-Fi is analogous to a fish without water. Given the immense advancements in wireless communications, we were able to incorporate a Wi-Fi module with no significant compromise to battery-life. This means that not only can you download waveforms from the OSCP but your doctor can also control your device remotely to ensure higher effectiveness.

For more information visit Resources.