Help at hand for stroke sufferers

A Europe-wide research project to design intelligent implants is using accelerometers – as used in the Nintendo Wii games console – to help stroke sufferers regain the use of their hands. Stimugrip, designed by FineTech Medical, helps patients with an upper motor neuron lesion to extend their wrist and open their hand. Stimugrip senses the user’s own movements and uses this information to stimulate nerves that have been left ineffective following a stroke. There are two main parts to the system; a two-channel stimulator, which is implanted in the arm; and an external controller. An accelerometer in the controller, which is worn on the outside of the arm, talks to the implant on the inside of the arm through an inductive coupling – the method used to charge an electric toothbrush. Paul Taylor, a biomedical engineer from The National Clinical FES Centre in Salisbury, which is conducting clinical trials on Stimugrip on five people, said: "Volunteers have reported that they are more aware of their affected arm, and now spontaneously use it in daily life.” A longer version of this feature appears in the forthcoming February issue of Eureka.