There\nare many diseases that can lead to a total loss of control of the muscles of\nthe body. For instance, the ability of people affected by amyotrophic lateral\nsclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injuries to physically\ninteract with the environment is usually reduced, and they may even lose it\ncompletely. In many cases, these patients reach a state known as the locked-in\nsyndrome (LIS). In its classical modality, this syndrome is defined by the\npatients inability to make any movement, but blinks and vertical eye\ndisplacements, despite being still conscious. This renders them completely\ndependent not only on their close family, but also on ventilatory machines to remain\nalive. In some cases, these patients can reach the state knows as complete\nlocked-in state (CLIS), or a state equivalent to the latter in which, without\nsuffering from paralysis of the eye muscles, patients have lost control of\nthese muscles. These patients live without any possibility of communicating\nwith the outside world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nsome cases, patients can use interaction systems as eyetrackers to communicate,\nbut in extreme situations it is crucial to provide the patient with a\nnon-muscular communication path. This is nowadays feasible thanks to an array\nof systems, which are grouped under the name of braincomputer interfaces (BCI).\nTheir common feature is to process the brains electrical activity for\nextracting information that can be used to command an external device, allowing\nto establish a new communication and control channel for people with locked-in syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering\nthe painful situation of these patients and others that suffer from severe\nmotor disabilities, the efforts of the scientific community were aimed from the\nvery beginning at developing applications for BCI systems based on the control\nof a virtual keyboard to restore the patient’s communication and control\ncapacity. Unfortunately, at present, there are not usable systems and easy to\nconfigure, existing only experimental platforms. Precisely, one of the\nobstacles that continues to hamper the daily use of these applications is the\nno existence of compact and low cost systems, and easily configurable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ngeneral objectives of this project are focused on carrying out research and\napplication development tasks with the aim of contributing to the improvement\nof the quality of life of patients with LIS or CLIS, as is the case of some\npatients who suffer ALS.\n\nThis project aims to\ndevelop a final application for domestic use intended for communication and\ncontrol of the environment for people with LIS. This application will be easily\nconfigurable and adaptable to the needs of each patient. In addition, specific\nsolutions will be proposed that allow certain patients under CLIS a\ncommunication option. Research will also be carried out to improve the\neffectiveness of these systems applied to the control of a virtual keyboard\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are many diseases that can lead to a total loss of control of the muscles of the body. For instance, the ability of people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injuries to physically interact with the environment is usually reduced, and they may even lose it completely. In many … Seguir leyendo Summary<\/span>