TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS IN STROKE REHABILITATION - AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACES (BCI) IN CONJUNCTION WITH FUNCTIONAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION (FES)

Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in Germany and in industrialized countries. An estimated 24,300-26,000 people suffer a stroke in Germany every year. Affected people often suffer particularly from functional motor impairments of the upper extremities. Newer approaches such as BCI-FES systems aim to establish a communication channel between the brain and external devices without neuromuscular interventions. Brain electrical activity is measured, processed, translated into control signals, and an external electrical impulse is triggered painlessly.