Students at Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering created ExoMIND, an Arduino-powered glove that helps a stroke victim recover by tracking the range of motion the patient experiences.
A set of 7 accelerometers in the fingers, wrist, and forearm track the range of movements the patient is experiencing with that hand. An accelerometer on the back of the hand serving as a reference. Meanwhile, an EMG sensor working with a conductive fabric sleeve to measure muscle activity. The user follows a series of instructions dished out by an interactive software program, allowing the system to test out the patient’s range of motion at the beginning of the regime as well as to record whether any improvement was noted at the end. The data is used by a physical therapist to personalize the treatment plan. The interactive program also raises the possibility of patients self-directing their exercises with the ExoMIND telling them how to adjust their motion to get the most out of the experience.
Produced as part of the university’s MIND Biomedical Engineering Club, the ExoMIND prototype was designed by three interdisciplinary teams focusing on electronics, materials, and programming, respectively.
Looks like a combination of two projects I worked on a few years back:
PowerSensor (3D hand kinematics with IMU’s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNApdO-27cw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOXpCiyN4ig
SCRIPT (rehab at home)
http://rehabilitationrobotics.net/cms3/sites/default/files/COST2013_poster_ates_et_al_v0.4.pdf
Great article and Victor, thank you for your hard work and for that link :) My dad had a massive stroke last year and am currently looking at things to help with his recovery that I can hopefully cobble together on a tight budget. If you see this, do you know of any leg/walking based projects that you could recommend?
Hi!
We’re working tightly with a recovery center nearby, called “Roessingh”. Here is a link to an article where a popular STEM programm ‘took a walk’ in the machine (LOPES) that was co-developed with our group:
https://www.roessingh.nl/nieuws/Dolores-Leeuwin-enthousiast-over-looprobot-bij-Roessingh
Another movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeuhnCd44Tw
Of course this is miles away from ‘a tight budget’, but maybe it can inspire you. What I understood from therapists is that the most important thing is practice, practice, practice…. And that the robot helps in doing that. Depending on the functionality that your dad still has, you might be able to make a nice game for him, that appears to be the most motivational thing: a nice game where you can score more points, earn rewards, etcetera.
Good luck,
Victor
A worthy project but very difficult, I hope they are successful because the idea looks very useful.
Go Boilers!
could such a device not only monitor movement but stimulate the correct muscles electrically to assist movement when its been lost? i ask as i lost part of the functionality of my right hand due to nerve damage and ive thought of the possibility of such a device before
Hello @GasPoweredCat,
This is called Functional Electrical Stimulation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_electrical_stimulation) . For the hand it’s difficult to control individual fingers because so many muscles are overlapping, but grasping might be possible… Maybe ask a neurologist his or her opinion….
To start ‘hacking’ on this you must be quite sure what you are doing with regards to safety. The heart is also a muscle that can be stimulated if you do it wrong….
Hi Victor, GasPoweredCat,
This paper may be of your interest. https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2703151
I am working on a few improved prototypes that solve most of the drawbacks depicted in the paper.
Best,
Andrea