Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Smart Sleeve for Upper Limb Tele-Rehabilitation Using a Novel Strain Sensor

Project Synopsis

Stroke is a common neurological disease and a leading cause of chronic disability worldwide [GO]. The main symptom after stroke is hemiplegia which is usually accompanied by difficulties in mobility in upper limb [DE]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of stroke survivors have varying degrees of limb dysfunction, and more than 60% still suffer from upper limb dysfunction after entering the chronic phase [HA]. Studies have shown that regular rehabilitation training, and in particular, the upper limb rehabilitation is essential for expediting recovery after a stroke [SH][MI]. In addition, the rapidly increasing of elderly population presents the need for the development of new automatic telerehabilitation platforms, which can reduce costs and psychological burden.

Project Objective

To design, fabricate and test a new fabricbased telerehab platform that tracks and measures motion patterns including flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, and rotation using the novel conductive materials proposed by Noxware.