Tele-tDCS: A Novel Tele-neuromodulation Framework using Internet of Medical Things

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.