Title :
Enhancing patient freedom in rehabilitation robotics using gaze-based intention detection
Author :
Novak, D. ; Riener, Robert
Author_Institution :
Sensory-Motor Syst. Lab., ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract :
Several design strategies for rehabilitation robotics have aimed to improve patients´ experiences using motivating and engaging virtual environments. This paper presents a new design strategy: enhancing patient freedom with a complex virtual environment that intelligently detects patients´ intentions and supports the intended actions. A `virtual kitchen´ scenario has been developed in which many possible actions can be performed at any time, allowing patients to experiment and giving them more freedom. Remote eye tracking is used to detect the intended action and trigger appropriate support by a rehabilitation robot. This approach requires no additional equipment attached to the patient and has a calibration time of less than a minute. The system was tested on healthy subjects using the ARMin III arm rehabilitation robot. It was found to be technically feasible and usable by healthy subjects. However, the intention detection algorithm should be improved using better sensor fusion, and clinical tests with patients are needed to evaluate the system´s usability and potential therapeutic benefits.
Keywords :
medical computing; medical robotics; patient rehabilitation; virtual reality; ARMin III; arm rehabilitation robot; complex virtual environment; design strategy; gaze-based intention detection; intelligent patients intention detection; intention detection algorithm; patient freedom; rehabilitation robotics; remote eye tracking; sensor fusion; virtual kitchen scenario; Extremities; Rehabilitation robotics; Robot sensing systems; Tracking; Trajectory; Virtual environments; eye tracking; gaze-based interaction; intention detection; rehabilitation robotics; upper extremities;
Conference_Titel :
Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR), 2013 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Seattle, WA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-6022-7
DOI :
10.1109/ICORR.2013.6650507