{"id":3851,"date":"2014-01-22T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.msdn.microsoft.com\/msr_er\/2014\/01\/22\/stroke-recovery-gets-a-boost-from-kinect\/"},"modified":"2016-07-20T07:30:33","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T14:30:33","slug":"stroke-recovery-gets-a-boost-from-kinect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/blog\/stroke-recovery-gets-a-boost-from-kinect\/","title":{"rendered":"Stroke recovery gets a boost from Kinect"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>The aftermath of a stroke can be overwhelming for any patient\u2014from the physical and emotional toll to the cost of stroke-related treatment. Recent evidence1<\/a> <\/sup>points to the advantages of task-specific training as effective rehabilitation, but in practice, this requires simple, repetitive movements, which may bore patients, lowering their motivation to continue the training. However, new hope for stroke patients has arrived in the form of Stroke Recovery with Kinect<\/em>, a research project to build a cost-effective, interactive, home-rehabilitation system for motor recovery after a stroke\u2014based on Microsoft Kinect technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kinect<\/p>\n

\u00a0Stroke Recovery with Kinect is a collaborative project between Microsoft Research Asia and Seoul National University\u2014with funding from the Korean Government Collaboration Program\u2014that provides a virtual reality system to help stroke survivors improve their upper-limb motor functioning in the comfort of their own home. \u201cMost people who suffer a stroke experience paralysis in their arms and legs,\u201d states Professor Nam-Jong Paik of Seoul National University, who is principal investigator of the project. \u201cThey can do the therapy at home by using Microsoft\u2019s Kinect\u2014without coming to the hospital\u2014and we can measure their recovery level. Since it\u2019s like a game, patients also have fun while rehabilitating at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The prototype Stroke Recovery with Kinect system was built by using the Microsoft Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK). It uses the Kinect sensor\u2019s three-dimensional camera to capture the movements of 48 skeletal points on the patient while he or she performs the therapy. Stroke Recovery with Kinect interprets the movement data, enabling the system to measure and evaluate the patient\u2019s movements and assess their rehabilitation progress. The system uses the patient’s scores from previous sessions to adjust the level of difficulty for subsequent therapy sessions. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the three programs in the Stroke Recovery with Kinect system is the classic box-and-block test (BBT). This program application evaluates patients\u2019 coordination, gross manual dexterity, and motor skills as they (virtually) attempt to pick up blocks one-by-one and put them into a box in a set amount of time. Similar to a computer game, Stroke Recovery with Kinect displays patients\u2019 scores as soon as they finish a session, providing immediate reinforcement when scores improve from session to session.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
\nThe box-and-block test in Stroke Recovery with Kinect evaluates a patient\u2019s coordination, manual dexterity, and motor skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another program in Stroke Recovery with Kinect challenges the patient to assume a target pose displayed on the computer monitor and then duplicate the target\u2019s position as it moves. The patient then receives what is known as a Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) score, based on his or her success. Because Stroke Recovery with Kinect enables patients to face these challenges within the privacy of their own homes, they may be more relaxed and likely to persevere.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third program in Stroke Recovery with Kinect is an outer-space game that enables patients to exercise their reflex and reaction abilities as they guide a spaceship through space while attempting to avoid oncoming asteroids. Stroke Recovery with Kinect tracks the stroke patient\u2019s hand trajectory\u2014relative to and in conjunction with the movement of the elbow and\/or shoulder. The stroke patient experiences a fun and enjoyable therapy session that a traditional rehabilitative setting usually cannot provide.<\/span><\/p>\n

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