Control of skeletal muscle force with currents injected via an intrafascicular, microelectrode array.
In spinal cord injured patients, the reanimation of dysfunctional limbs has been achieved with extrinsic stimulation of skeletal muscle via surface, epimysial, and nerve cuff electrodes. However, these neural interfaces have a number of significant problems that are mitigated by the use of electrodes that are inserted directly into the nerves that innervate targeted muscles. These problems, and their mitigation by one embodiment of an intrafascicular electrode array, the Utah Slanted Electrode Array, are the subject of this paper.
Normann
Richard
R
Member, IEEE, Professor of Bioengineering and Ophthalmology at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA 84112 (801-581-7645; fax: 801-581-8966; e-mail: normann@utah.edu).
McDonnall
Daniel
D
Clark
Gregory
G