A Body-Sensed Motor Assessment System for Stroke Upper-Limb Rehabilitation: A Preliminary Study

Based on the clinic data, 69 % - 80 % stroke patients in Taiwan have the muscle weakness symptom of upper limb. Stroke patients are able to restore their independent living if they keep formal rehabilitation without interruption. However, due to the tedious and painful process, stroke patients may pause or suspend their rehabilitation therapy. Moreover, physiatrists in Taiwan hospitals must take care of more than one patient at the same time. This paper is motivated to propose a motor assessment system for stroke upper-limb rehabilitation. Our implementation is integrated with the Complete Minnesota Dexterity Test to quantify patients´ recovery status automatically. Therefore, our implementation is able to reduce the workload of physiatrists effectively. In addition to assessment scale score, the proposed system is able to record more details, e.g., the tremor status and the grip strength, for doctors to evaluate the following rehabilitation therapy. Finally, a body-sensed game is provided to increase interest to the rehabilitation process.