A foot drop compensation device based on surface multi-field functional electrical stimulation—Usability study in a clinical environment

Functional electrical stimulation applies electrical pulses to the peripheral nerves to artificially achieve a sensory/motor function. When applied for the compensation of foot drop it provides both assistive and therapeutic effects. Multi-field electrodes have shown great potential but may increase the complexity of these systems. Usability aspects should be checked to ensure their success in clinical environments. We developed the Fesia Walk device, based on a surface multi-field electrode and an automatic calibration algorithm, and carried out a usability study to check the feasibility of integrating this device in therapeutic programs in clinical environments. The study included 4 therapists and 10 acquired brain injury subjects (8 stroke and 2 traumatic brain injury).The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Part of this study was supported by the European Regional Development Funds through the Interreg Sudoe Program, project SOE1/P1/F0370