Background
stroke, perspiration, orthosis, Neuromuscular disorders, muscular fatigue
STROKE, NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS
Neuromuscular disorders impose a significant socioeconomic burden on society. There are over 7 million stroke survivors in the United States alone [Rehabilitation therapies that implement assistive neurotechnology devices tend to improve functional motor recovery, reducing impairment and improving independence in ADLs, quality of life, and community participation [Currently, commercially available active UE orthoses for home use can be divided into two groups: (1) mechanically actuated orthoses [Widespread use of the cummercially available active orthoses is hindered by several factors: (1) the challenge of making them form-fitting, comfortable, authentic, easy to use, portable, and lightweight; (2) the inability to customize the placement of sensors as input controls and effectors to optimize user movements; and (3) the lack of rehabilitation professionals skilled in training individuals on how to integrate the orthosis into daily routines. To the best of our knowledge, no currently available commercial orthosis offers all the aforementioned factors for restoring UE functionality during ADLs in “real-world” situations [Academically fabricated motorized UE orthoses have their own limitations; they often need to be fixed to a wheelchair or stationary surface (e.g., a table) [To overcome the limitations of the currently available UE orthoses, the next generation of UE devices must be simple to use to encourage acceptance and integration in ADLs while having favorable aesthetics for widespread adoption. Specifically, a user-friendly orthosis should be effective, comfortable, portable, form-fitting, safe and easy to use, easy to don and doff, and offer the individual a variety of options for controlling it. Furthermore, it should be lightweight; this is paramount because continuous usage of heavy UE orthoses may have a detrimental effect on user satisfaction and compliance and may contribute to physical problems such as pressure point formation, muscular fatigue, perspiration, and skin irritation. Also, an important requirement for the UE orthoses to be effectively incorporated into ADLs may be the battery life of more than 8 h, making it possible to be used each day on a single battery charge. These numerous requirements cannot be met in devices that are designed following the “one-size-fits-all” principle without accounting for the unique needs of each individual [This study introduces the design, development, implementation, and clinical evaluation of the NuroSleeve, a novel user-centric active UE orthosis. The NuroSleeve design accommodates the unique needs and conditions of individuals by integrating (1) a user-specific control mechanism, (2) a custom 3D-printed, lightweight, and easy to don and doff motorized splint, and (3) an off-the-shelf FES unit to take advantage of the electrical stimulation benefits [