User-centered design of a personal-use exoskeleton: a clinical investigation on the feasibility and usability of the ABLE Exoskeleton device for individuals with spinal cord injury to perform skills for home and community environments.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The ABLE Exoskeleton has been tested to be safe and feasible for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) to complete basic skills in clinical settings but has not been tested for use in home and community environments. A user-centered design process was employed to test the feasibility of the current ABLE Exoskeleton (designed for clinical use) for persons with SCI to perform the basic and advanced skills required for home and community environments, to gain crucial feedback for the development of a novel personal-use exoskeleton.

Methods

In this prospective pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study across two SCI centers (Germany, Spain), in-and outpatients with SCI were included into a 22-session training and assessment protocol, utilizing the ABLE Exoskeleton.

SUBMITTER: Nadorf F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11464447 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature