Article

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often affects a person's ability to perform critical
activities of daily living and can negatively affect his or her quality of life.
Assistive technology aims to bridge this gap in order to augment function and
increase independence. It is critical to involve consumers in the design and
evaluation process as new technologies such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)
are developed. In a survey study of 57 veterans with SCI participating in the
2010 National Veterans Wheelchair Games, we found that restoration of bladder and
bowel control, walking, and arm and hand function (tetraplegia only) were all
high priorities for improving quality of life. Many of the participants had not
used or heard of some currently available technologies designed to improve
function or the ability to interact with their environment. The majority of
participants in this study were interested in using a BCI, particularly for
controlling functional electrical stimulation to restore lost function.
Independent operation was considered to be the most important design criteria.
Interestingly, many participants reported that they would consider surgery to
implant a BCI even though noninvasiveness was a high-priority design requirement.
This survey demonstrates the interest of individuals with SCI in receiving and
contributing to the design of BCIs.

Langue : ANGLAIS