Design of an active-passive device for human ankle movement during functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis

Functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis has made major strides in recent years, both because of the development of new scanners and owing to magnetic resonance compatible systems that make it possible to stimulate parts of the human body during analysis. The significant gains in our knowledge of the brain that can thus be achieved justify efforts to construct machines with control circuits suitable for this purpose. This paper presents a magnetic resonance compatible mechatronic device with electropneumatic control that can be used to move one or both feet during functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis of the cerebral motor zones. The system is innovative and original. The results obtained at the end of the investigation were good, and demonstrated that the design is feasible.