I-Corps: Tele-rehabilitation system for individuals with upper limb motor dysfunction

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project focuses on the development of a low-cost tele-rehabilitation system for individuals with motor dysfunction. Numerous technology-enabled tele-rehabilitation systems presently exist, but their relatively high cost, safety concerns, and bulkiness often limit their application in decentralized environments.

This project involves the development of a low-cost, sensor-enabled mobile health system that records body movements and derives quantitative metrics that are meaningful to both clinicians and patients. Commercialization of this technology has the potential to improve the way that sensorimotor disorders are managed in individuals with neurological and musculoskeletal impairments.

The technology platform could serve as a model for home-based tele-rehabilitation, improving clinical practice and access to care.

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a low-cost, sensor-enabled system for upper limb rehabilitation that combines mobile technology, micro-electromechanical system inertial measurement units, sensor-fusion algorithms, and biomechanics. The system provides a way for rehabilitation clinicians to accurately quantify movement quality and monitor patient compliance and quality of life.

The technology will be applied to assess motor dysfunction in stroke survivors and patients with acquired traumatic brain injury. Test accuracy, consistency, reliability and validity of the system's measurements will be demonstrated.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.