Modified home video game shows promise for stroke rehabilitation

Written by Dan Zuccarelli

Wednesday, 20 September 2006 11:10

Here's a story that warms the deep dark corners of my violent-gamer mind. A team of scientists at Rutgers University (in my home state of NJ) have modified a game console to assist with stroke rehab. It involves using an Xbox, a suped-up power glove, and specialized software meant to record a patients ability to use their hand muscles.

They claim that their $600 solution is potentially 10 times cheaper that specialized systems.

Not to mention that it's something the patient can use in the comfort of their own homes.

I don't pretend to be a scientist, so why don't I let them explain it.

Rutgers' low-cost hand rehabilitation system is based on the commercially available Microsoft Xbox video game and Essential Reality P5 gaming glove that detects finger and wrist motions to manipulate on-screen images. The engineers made minor modifications to the equipment and created software that delivers two types of finger flexing exercises needed to help recover hand functions in stroke patients.
In one exercise, a patient attempts to wipe clean four vertical bars of "dirty" pixels that obscure a pleasant image on a computer display. The bars are erased in proportion to each finger's flexing motion, giving the patient immediate feedback on his or her performance. And in an exercise to promote finger flexing speed, a patient tries to make a fist quickly enough to "scare away" a butterfly flitting around on the screen.
The engineers noted that the gaming glove they use doesn't have the accuracy and resolution of gloves designed specifically for rehabilitation, nor can it measure exact joint movement or provide force feedback. But such systems may be attractive for clinics that can't afford more expensive equipment and could open the door for supplemental home training with remote monitoring by a clinician over an Internet connection.

Read the full article here

Comments (0) Add Comment

Write comment

< Prev		Next >

Stalk Us

Staff

Editor-in-Chief - Jim Squires
Managing Editor - Daniel Lloyd
Founding Editor - Daniel Zuccarelli

Contributors
Bryan Wall
Holly Green
Lance Coviello
Marc Deangelis
Mark Peachey
Mike Dodd

The BBPS Sponsors

This is one of our favorite sports memorabilia sites on the web.

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Most-Wanted List

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!