Precise hand movement telerehabilitation with virtual cubes for patients with Parkinson's disease

The preliminary study is focused on small range of motion and finger movements in persons with Parkinson disease. We presumed that such activity can increase participation and thus slow down the progress of the disease and increase the quality of life. For that purpose we have developed a virtual environment for pick and place of small virtual cubes. The person's hand and fingers movement were detected by a small table-top 3D camera and shown in virtual environment. In the 3-weeks study 18 patients with Parkinson disease participated. The participants carried out 10 sessions each lasting 30 min/day. A successful rate was measured as number of collected cubes within the limited time. Additionally clinical Jebsen, Box&Blocks, 9 Hole Peg Test and UPDRS tests were carried out before and after the study. The outcomes demonstrated the feasibility of the approach in small object manipulation. The preliminary results were encouraging in terms of functional movements and also demonstrated a potential objective evaluation.