Vibrotactile feedback system for intuitive upper-limb rehabilitation

Abstract

The proposed demonstration stems from research on a low cost haptic virtual interaction platform for upper-limb rehabilitation. This work centers on the use of vibrotactile feedback in a virtual environment to help stroke patients perform simple repetitive motions and thereby overcome motor planning deficits. The device to be demonstrated consists of a sleeve with embedded optical markers and vibration actuators. When in use, the system has three main functions: it continually measures the configuration of the patient's arm in space, it provides graphical feedback about the desired arm configuration and the user's current arm configuration on a computer monitor, and it provides intuitive vibrotactile cues to guide the user's arm into the target configuration.