A Microsoft Kinect-Based Virtual Rehabilitation System to Train Balance Ability for Stroke Patients

The ability to track joint positions for Microsoft Kinect is useful for rehabilitation in both clinical and home settings. Unfortunately, most available commercial Kinect video games are not developed for rehabilitation purposes. In this study, a low-cost rehabilitation game training system has been developed for patients with movement disorders, it is suitable for use at home under the distant supervision of a therapist. This research explores the potential and the limitations of the Kinect-based system in the applications of e-rehabilitation. A prototypic system including 4 video games was developed for e-rehabilitation. In order to test the usefulness and effectiveness of the Kinect Virtual Rehabilitation System (KVRS), the Balance Recovery game was used to train patients with stroke to recover their balance abilities. It was demonstrated that balance training using the Kinect e-rehabilitation system exhibited a significant effect in recovering balance function for the stroke patients. Additionally, the outcome of questionnaire survey revealed that the KVRS video game was perceived as effective and easy in operation.