First steps in the development of an EEG-based system to detect intention of gait initiation

The ability to walk is a very important characteristic of the human being that unfortunately not everyone can enjoy. Subjects with spinal cord damage or who have had a stroke may have difficulties in walking, or even be unable to walk, depending on their degree of disability. Although, in some cases, it is possible to recover mobility, the rehabilitation process can continue for long periods of time. This article presents a methodology to detect walking intention in healthy subjects before the movement actually starts. This is done by measuring brain activity through electroencephalographic signals (EEG) that can be extracted from the motor cortex. The preparation and performance of a movement generates a phenomenon called event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the mu and beta frequency bands. This paper shows a technique to characterize this brain process during gait onset and the results of preliminary tests with 3 healthy subjects. The output of the classifier can serve as a command to move an exoskeletal system that helps to perform the movement, so it might improve rehabilitation. The aim is to obtain reliable results to continue further research with more healthy subjects and patients who are not able to walk or do not have the strength to do so and also carry out real time tests.