The POLIMIRehaMove team decided to participate in the FES bike race of Cybathlon 2020 with the final objective of creating a FES-Cycling system highly accessible to people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
POLIMIRehaMove system synchronizes two 4-channel current-controlled portable stimulators (Hasomed GmbH) with a passive lightweight recumbent trike (VTX, ICE Ltd), through the real-time measurement of the crank angle by means of an encoder. The device we created is controlled by an embedded system based on a BeagleBone Black. A user interface, including buttons and a display, allows the pilot to directly control the stimulation intensity.
The preparation towards Cybathlon2020 can be considered as a pilot study which allows to evaluate the robustness, performances and usability of the device. In collaboration with the Spinal Unit of Niguarda Hospital (Milan), and its related Sport Association AUS Niguarda Onlus, the proposed FES cycling system will be used with the overall aim to promote the social integration of young people with SCI.
The indoor race took place in Building 20 of Polimi Leonardo Campus, on November 11th, with a final best score of 860 m over the 8 minutes of the race!