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Orthesis and prosthesis devices have been developed in the last years in order to assist people with motor limitations ( Contreras-Vidal et al., 2016). This requires the design of preparatory exercises, the observation by a physical therapist and the direct manipulation of the limbs during gait over a regular surface, followed by supervised walking. Traditional therapies focus on improving the functional ambulation for patients in the sub-acute phase, using overground training. Normally, therapists try to recover some residual ability for movement when possible, acting over the distal physical level, trying to influence the neural system through mechanisms of neural plasticity ( Ang and Guan, 2013). Stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), and limb loss are some of the most common causes of acquired motor disabilities in adults, being the restoration of motor function often incomplete. This work also shows a case study tested in able-bodied subjects prior to a future clinical study, demonstrating that a BMI based on gamma band and attention-level paradigm allows real-time closed-loop control of a Rex exoskeleton. This paper presents a new brain-machine interface based on the decoding of gamma band activity and attention level during motor imagery mental tasks. This way the combined use of BMI+exoskeleton turns from assistance to restoration. Consequently, a brain-machine interface focused on the attention to gait could facilitate sensory integration in individuals with neurological impairment through the analysis of voluntary gait will and its repetitive use.

However, the process of walking is usually an autonomous mental task that requires a minimal conscious effort. Therefore, the cognitive implication of the user is a key aspect in BMI applications, and it is important to assure that the mental task correlates with the actual motor action. In the case of an exoskeleton, they can also help rehabilitation therapies due to the reinforcement of neuro-plasticity through repetitive motor actions and cognitive engagement of the subject.