Hand Function Assessment using Computer Vision for Hand Rehabilitation

Individuals who suffer a stroke often experience impaired hand function. The normal function can be restored by hand rehabilitation exercises with constant monitoring and assessment of motor recovery progress. However, this poses a challenge to patients due to regular hospital visits and physiotherapy sessions. We address this inconvenience by developing a reliable vision-based hand rehabilitation system that guides patients to perform rehabilitation exercises, such as the Sollerman Hand Function Test and Box and Block Test. The patients are asked to perform exercises based on instructions shown on a computer screen and the system tracks finger and hand to estimate performance scores. This scoring provides feedback to the patients to monitor their progress and improve their hand function gradually. Experiments conducted with ten males and five females highlight that the proposed vision-based hand rehabilitation exercises are effective in improving hand functionalities.