Tremor suppression using functional electrical stimulation: a comparison between digital and analog controllers

In this study, we compared digital and analog versions of a functional electrical stimulator designed to suppress tremor. The device was based on a closed-loop control system designed to attenuate movements in the tremor frequency range, without significantly affecting slower, voluntary movements. Testing of the digital filter was done on three patients with Parkinsonian tremor and the results compared to those of a functional electrical stimulation device based on an analog filter evaluated in a previous study. Additional testing of both the analog and digital filters was done on three subjects with no neurological impairment performing tremor-like movements and slow voluntary movements. We found that the digital controller provided a mean attenuation of 84%, compared to 65% for the analog controller.