3D monocular visual tracking therapy system for the rehabilitation of human upper limbs

Abstract

It is described a 3D monocular tracking system, being robust, having low cost, easy to install and use, useful for the upper limbs rehabilitation in a patient in need thereof, as well as a home self-directed therapy method for patients having upper limbs' movement disability. The system comprising a) a handle or gripper; b) a computational vision system comprising a video camera; c) software comprising a set of games; d) a processor; and, e) a display apparatus.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to equipment and systems used in rehabilitation medicine to recover limb motility for patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases or other kinds of disease, and more particularly, it is related to a 3D monocular visual tracking therapy system for the rehabilitation of the upper limbs of patients having suffered from any kind of injury such as a stroke, as well as to the method of carrying out such rehabilitation.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Every year millions of people worldwide suffer accidents or diseases which cause the loss of their motor abilities. Cerebrovascular diseases, commonly known as strokes, are clear examples thereof. About 80% of the people which survive to a stroke lose their movement ability in an arm and hand.[0003]After having suffered from a stroke, an intensive activity therapy for several weeks is the most common treatment to recover the movement abilities. However, due to the increased budgetary pres...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0033]Considering the defects of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a 3D monocular visual tracking therapy system, easy to install and operate, but highly efficient for the rehabilitation of patients having suffered from stroke.

Problems solved by technology

Every year millions of people worldwide suffer accidents or diseases which cause the loss of their motor abilities.

However, due to the increased budgetary pressures in the hospitalization system, more often the rehabilitation treatments are reduced and the patients are sent home early without having reached a correct and vital rehabilitation.

On the other hand, hiring a professional physiotherapeutic is not an option for most of the patients due to the high cost of the therapy session.

In view of the above, patients try to rehabilitate themselves by making the same exercises assigned at the hospital; however, as they do not have the guides neither have they the knowledge thereto, usually they exercise in an inappropriate manner, resulting in a low or null progress in their rehabilitation.

In other cases, due to laziness or lack of motivation, the patients do not exercise at all.

Most of these systems consist in complex robotic arms or gloves having sensors to detect the patient's arm movement, making them expensive and not accessible for most of the patients.

Visual tracking systems can meet only part of these requirements, since its design presents various difficulties, such as depth inconsistencies, feature deformities, complexity in the kinematics' models and occlusions.

The system contemplates the selection of the different activities by the user or by the attendant; however, the activities are not automatically adapted according to the progress of the patient.

Another drawback is that the use of several cameras makes the system more expensive and complex.

However, this system is not used in therapeutic applications.

This device, in addition to being focused for use in video games, can only estimate the movement and not the 3D position since it uses inertial sensors to detect the 3D movement.

However, this apparatus has as object providing the user with a more convenient interface to devices such as a computer, and not its application in the therapy of patients requiring upper limbs rehabilitation.

This system is used in training applications but not in therapeutic applications.

The system includes at least one sensor to detect the rotation of the pointer apparatus, an accelerometer to detect its acceleration and a processor to receive the sensor outlet and that of the accelerometer, all of which increases the systems costs.

The main drawback of this method is that the recognition is made examining one image at a time and comparing the data with previously derived data and already known by the system.

On the other hand, this method is not used in therapeutic applications.

As it may be seen from the above, most of the visual tracking systems found in the prior art have the great inconvenience that they were designed and developed for training or to video games, but no so for the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke.

In addition to the above, some systems found in the state of the art used in the rehabilitation of patients include apparatus or devices highly expensive, or require the implementation of various components such as the use of several cameras, among other, representing a big problem for the hospital system due to the decrease in the budget, and therefore, this means that patients are sent to home before completing their rehabilitation.

And if this situation moved into the home of the user, wherein said user has to use own resources, the rehabilitation practically becomes impossible.

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