Cost-Effective and Efficient Solutions for the Assessment and Practice of Upper Extremity Motor Performance

The use of new technologies in the field of motor rehabilitation aims to improve both movements and functions. Specifically, such use is important in rehabilitating the upper extremity (UE) because UE motor impairment is a common disabling factor with unsatisfactory rehab results that reduce the patient’s quality of life. The existing technological means for assessment and practice in the clinical field are generally based on expensive and cumbersome systems. This work presents accurate, robust, and easy-to-operate two new possible technological solutions for assessments and treatments. These solutions enable receiving accurate real-time information regarding motor performance which is essential for assessment and practice in motor rehabilitation for the patient and the therapist. The first is based on depth programming cameras. A depth camera can give accurate high-speed 3-D information of the hand movements of up to 100 frames/s. The second is based on the use of a cheap, easy-to-use webcam found in every modern laptop. Utilizing these features, we were able to perform some classic research paradigms that relate to the motor domain of the UE. Results indicate that using the proposed technological means could significantly enhance the field of motor rehabilitation.