Kinect-based framework for motor rehabilitation

Abstract

The number of people suffering from motor impairment is increasing as incidence involving limb injuries can easily happen. These injuries may be traumatic injuries, congenital deformities, neurological and arthritic conditions or regional pain syndrome. Some of these injuries need operative procedure, whilst others use interventive methods. Regardless of the treatment performed, a vital component in the road to recovery should include physical rehabilitation. This paper proposes the design of a Kinect-based framework for motor rehabilitation. Originally introduced as an add-on for the Xbox gaming console, Kinect offers the capability to track the motion of a human body in real time. This research makes use of that capability to combine the Kinect with an easily modifiable application to produce an individually customized home rehabilitation system that will motivate, provide feedback and track the progress of the rehabilitation patient. This paper also proposes an evaluation framework to evaluate the Kinect based home rehabilitation system based on the technology acceptance, the motivation of the patient, and the patient's learning style.