FES systems: a commercial perspective

Electrical stimulating devices, such as cardiac pacemakers, have been around since the 1950s and their use is now very widespread. Devices intended to restore other functions are much less common. Despite considerable research work in many centres around the world, relatively few devices have actually been transferred successfully into general commercial use. Some notable exceptions to this are stimulators for the phrenic nerve (for breathing), for foot-drop, for bladder function, and more recently for grasp. These devices are all now commercially available, but their use at present is very limited. There is no question that the potential market for most of these devices is enormous but the take-up so far has been very small. There must be many reasons why functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems are not in much wider use and some of these are considered here. It is concluded that Although to date FES systems have not been great commercial successes there are reasons to be optimistic. FES technology is constantly improving with the development of newer and more effective devices. This, coupled with the emergence of new companies dedicated to the promotion and sale of FES systems means that their commercial future should be brighter now than ever before