Kinect-based virtual rehabilitation and evaluation system for upper limb disorders: A case study

OBJECTIVE:To help patients with disabilities of the arm and shoulder recover the accuracy and stability of movements, a novel and simple virtual rehabilitation and evaluation system called the Kine-VRES system was developed using Microsoft Kinect. METHODS:First, several movements and virtual tasks were designed to increase the coordination, control and speed of the arm movements. The movements of the patients were then captured using the Kinect sensor, and kinematics-based interaction and real-time feedback were integrated into the system to enhance the motivation and self-confidence of the patient. Finally, a quantitative evaluation method of upper limb movements was provided using the recorded kinematics during hand-to-hand movement. RESULTS:A preliminary study of this rehabilitation system indicates that the shoulder movements of two participants with ataxia became smoother after three weeks of training (one hour per day). CONCLUSION:This case study demonstrated the effectiveness of the designed system, which could be promising for the rehabilitation of patients with upper limb disorders.