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Xcite Mini: Bringing In-Clinic Muscle Stimulation to the Homes of Stroke Patients
- Program: Biomedical Engineering
- Course: EN.580.X12 BME Design Team
- Year: 2025
Project Description:
Strokes are the world’s leading cause of disability as they can cause paralysis, usually in the form of hemiplegia (impaired muscle function in half of the body). This can also lead to sarcopenia, or progressive loss of muscle strength. A common treatment is functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy, wherein motor neurons are electrically stimulated to activate muscles. Restorative Therapies, a global leader in FES therapy, has created an FES device called the Xcite with built-in exercises. Due to its steep price, it is only being sold to clinics, meaning it does not promote treatment adherence due to the need for multiple clinic visits per week. For the elderly population often afflicted by stroke, this can be expensive and burdensome, especially since most patients rely on caretakers to bring them to appointments. We have designed a supplementary controller to serve as a more accessible method of FES therapy.
Project Photo:
The current Xcite device designed by Restorative Therapies used in over 1000 clinics worldwide.
