Authors:
Samuel S. D. Steven David Herring
1
;
M. A. Hannan Bin Azhar
1
and
Mohamed Sakel
2
Affiliations:
1
School of Engineering, Technology and Design, Canterbury Christ Church University, U.K.
;
2
East Kent Hospitals University, NHS Foundation Trust, Kent, U.K.
Keyword(s):
tDCS, Neuromodulation, Parkinson’s, IoMT, Tele-health, Biomedical Device, e-Health.
Abstract:
As part of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) within Biomedical Engineering, telehealth is an emerging field. Due to the recent events surrounding COVID-19, it has become obvious that Telehealth treatments must be developed as a means of protecting vulnerable patients in hospitals by reducing the need to visit and therefore reducing risk to physicians. This paper investigates the feasibility of developing a non-invasive remote neuro-stimulation system using internet-based transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). A hardware-based prototype tDCS device has been developed to be controlled using a remote command-line interface over the internet. As a result, a physician can remotely set the parameters for the tDCS treatment and monitor the treatment in real-time to ensure patient safety. In this study, the feasibility of a Tele-tDCS system was investigated, as well as the capabilities a Tele-tDCS system should offer to patients.