Article

This study tested the use of a customized body-machine interface (BoMI) for
enhancing functional capabilities in persons with cervical spinal cord injury
(cSCI). The interface allows people with cSCI to operate external devices by
reorganizing their residual movements. This was a
proof-of-concept phase 0
interventional nonrandomized clinical trial. Eight cSCI participants wore a
custom-made garment with motion sensors placed on the shoulders. Signals derived
from the sensors controlled a computer cursor. A standard algorithm extracted the
combinations of sensor signals that best captured each participant's capacity for
controlling a computer cursor. Participants practiced with the BoMI for 24
sessions over 12 weeks performing 3 tasks: reaching, typing, and game playing.
Learning and performance were evaluated by the evolution of movement time,
errors, smoothness, and performance metrics specific to each task. Through
practice, participants were able to reduce the movement time and the distance
from the target at the 1-second mark in the reaching task.
They also made
straighter and smoother movements while reaching to different targets. All
participants became faster in the typing task and more skilled in game playing,
as the pong hit rate increased significantly with practice.
The results provide
proof-of-concept for the customized BoMI as a means for people with absent or
severely impaired hand movements to control assistive devices that otherwise
would be manually operated.

Langue : ANGLAIS