The development of a wrist rehabilitation device for movement therapy

Abstract

The loss of motor control and strength as a result of stroke can be effectively treated through physical rehabilitation including movement therapy. This project aims to automate the administration of such therapy by designing and developing a computer based device for the rehabilitation of the wrist. The device is to target the two degrees of freedom of the wrist as well as forearm rotation. A prototype rehabilitation device has been constructed and software has been developed to represent movement of the wrist in an onscreen virtual environment. A simple and entertaining video game encourages the patient to move their wrist through an appropriate range of motion, emulating movement therapy. Testing of the system found that the device is successful in capturing a large range of wrist movement and the representation of position in the virtual environment is accurate. The rehabilitation device developed in this study demonstrates the potential for automation of movement therapy using computer based systems. Further development of the device has been recommended, including the implementation of force-feedback so that the system can actively assist and resist patient movement. Work undertaken in this project represents a significant step towards the automation of physical therapy for rehabilitation of stroke