Exploring Materials and Object Properties in an Interactive Tangible System for Upper Limb Rehabilitation.

Here we present an exploratory study to assess the feasibility, motivation and usability of a novel system that uses tangible objects of different shapes and materials to interact with virtual tasks designed for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke. 5 different tasks were developed and tested with 5 types of tangible interaction (3 grasp and 2 strength modalities). The setup consists of a PC (OS: Windows 8.1, CPU: i7-4790 at 3.60GHz, RAM: 8Gb, Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060 6GB), a PlayStation Eye camera (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Tokyo, Japan), a 32” TV placed horizontally, and a set of tangible objects (Figure 1). A chair with adjustable height and a bench for feet rest were used to guarantee a correct posture during the session.

Data on 5 stroke survivors show that the proposed interactive paradigm is feasible and engaging, and that its usability is modulated by the user’s functional abilities. Hence, tasks dynamics and features need to be improved to increase usability for patients with more functional and cognitive difficulties. 

Reference:

Pereira, F., Ornelas, R., Bermúdez i Badia, S., & Cameirão, M. S. (2018). Exploring Materials and Object Properties in an Interactive Tangible System for Upper Limb Rehabilitation. Presented at the 12th International Conference on Disability Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, Nottingham. CITE DOWNLOAD