A programmable multi-channel stimulator for array electrodes in transcutaneous electrical stimulation

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) has been applied to restore or maintain the muscle activity of paralyzed patients who suffer from spinal cord injuries and related neural impairments for several decades. In this paper, a portable and low-cost versatile stimulator for multichannel TES applications is described. The microcontroller-based programmable stimulator with four bipolar output channels send arbitrarily specified electrical pulses to the element in the electrode array for enabling the complex schemes of muscles. The amplitude and phase of each pulse in the stimulus sequence are independently variable, and the four channels are independently programmable, allowing a wide variety of stimulus patterns. We also designed an output circuit that can provide bi-phasic, voltage-regulated, charge-balanced outputs while avoiding the electrochemical erosion of electrode due to charge accumulation. The proposed stimulator has provided an opportunity for further study of a potential novel electrical stimulator with closed-loop stimulation paradigm suitable for a variety of FES applications, both for experimental and clinical studies.