Assistive game controller for artificial intelligence-enhanced telerehabilitation post-stroke.
Grigore Burdea, Nam Kim, Kevin Polistico and 4 others
PMID 31180276WHAT IT FOUND
Two healthy adults rated a new hand controller for stroke games as useful and easy to learn.
They reported no difficulty putting it on. Because they had normal hand function and cognition, this does not show the device works for people with stroke impairments.
Key findings
01The new controller measures grasp force, finger extension, and 3D arm movement, addressing limitations of standard gaming controllers for hand rehabilitation.
02In the usability test, both participants rated the system as useful and easy to use, with scores of 6/7 or higher on the USE questionnaire.
03The study was limited because it only involved two healthy participants with intact motor function and normal cognition, not stroke survivors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study included only two healthy participants with normal hand function and cognition, so it cannot determine if the device is usable for people with stroke impairments. The participants were younger than the typical stroke population (the oldest was 60, while most stroke survivors are 65 or older). The rapid increase in game difficulty during the short study caused fatigue, which might not reflect the experience of a patient undergoing a standard multi-week rehabilitation program. This was a usability test, not a clinical trial, so it provides no evidence that the device improves physical function or recovery.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H., Extramural). The authors developed the device and software described in the paper.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high usability scores as evidence that this controller works for stroke patients. The test involved only two healthy people with normal hand strength and thinking skills. We do not yet know if people with spasticity or weakness can use it effectively.