Functional electrical stimulation using voluntary eyeblink for foot drop correction

Foot drop (FD) is a gait abnormality which may arise due to peroneal mononeuropethy. Electromyogram (EMG) signals during voluntary eye blink may be used to restore mobility and freedom in a non-invasive way for the FD patients. The current study deals with the development of an alternative low cost, portable and eye blink controlled prosthesis for FD correction. The EMG signal due to the voluntary blinking was used to generate a directional trigger as a neuro-stimulator. The developed neuro-stimulator was used to electrically stimulate the peroneal nerve in the affected leg to provide dorsiflexion of the foot for correcting the FD in the patients during the swing phase.