Gaze-controlled Robot-assisted Painting in Virtual Reality for Upper-limb Rehabilitation

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2021 Nov:2021:4513-4517. doi: 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9629654.

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Robot-assisted rehabilitation systems show great promise for motor recovery after a stroke. In this work, we present a gazecontrolled robotic system for upper limb rehabilitation. Subjects perform a painting task in virtual reality. We designed a novel and challenging painting task to encourage motivation and engagement, as these are critical factors in treatment efficacy. Because the robotic system can be programmed to provide varying amounts of assistance or resistance to the subject, it can be applied to a wide range of patients at different phases of recovery. We describe here the system configured in two modes: resistive control and hierarchical control. The former is designed for later stages of recovery, where the patient's impaired limb has recovered some function. It can be configured to provide varying degrees of resistance by adjusting the properties of an admittance controller. The latter targets patients in more acute phases, where the impaired limb is less responsive. It provides a combination of assistive and corrective control. We pilot tested our system on 10 able-bodied subjects. Our results show that the system can provide varying degrees of resistive control, and that the integration of high level control modulated by gaze can improve engagement. These results suggest that the system may provide a more engaging environment for a wide range of rehabilitative therapies than currently available.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Robotics*
  • Stroke Rehabilitation*
  • Stroke*
  • Upper Extremity
  • Virtual Reality*