Assisting Physical (Hydro)Therapy With Wireless Sensors Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and Internet of Things (IoT) have been used to build several eHealth systems, which enable a physician (or caregiver) to monitor a patient (or elderly) continuously and real time, either locally or remotely, at lower cost and being less intrusive in the routine than the traditional monitoring equipment. Physical therapy aiding systems are a particular case of such systems, with specific characteristics and requirements, concerning equipment, software, and system. This work presents a system aimed at assessing joint angle and vital signs to assist physical therapists. The system is also available to hydrotherapy, which imposes packaging, sensing, and communication challenges. We discuss our design and implementation, as well as common problems with this kind of application. We also present statistical analysis of the system results based on experiments conducted and compared to a goniometer, a standard physical therapy device.