Telerehabilitation: controlling haptic virtual environments through handheld interfaces

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a telerehabilitation system for kinesthetic therapy (treatment of patients with arm motion coordination disorders). Patients can receive therapy while being immersed in a virtual environment (VE) with haptic feedback. Our system is based on a Haptic Workstation that provides force-feedback on the upper limbs. One of our main contributions is the use of a handheld device as the main interface for the therapist. The handheld allows for monitoring, adapting and designing exercises in real-time (dynamic VE). Visual contact with the patient is kept by means of a webcam.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

Additional Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.3 LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
      Subjects: Health

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors

Keywords:
handheld devices, haptic interfaces, kinesthetic therapy, telerehabilitation, virtual environments