Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Exploring textile-based electrode materials for electromyography smart garments.","authors":"Emily Lam,&nbsp;Milad Alizadeh-Meghrazi,&nbsp;Alessandra Schlums,&nbsp;Ladan Eskandarian,&nbsp;Amin Mahnam,&nbsp;Bastien Moineau,&nbsp;Milos R Popovic","doi":"10.1177/20556683211061995","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211061995","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In recent years, electromyography (EMG) has been increasingly studied for wearable applications. Conventional gel electrodes for electrophysiological recordings have limited use in everyday applications such as prosthetic control or muscular therapy at home. This study investigates the efficacy and feasibility of dry-contact electrode materials employed in smart textiles for EMG recordings.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Dry-contact electrode materials were selected and implemented on textile substrates. Using these electrodes, EMG was recorded from the forearm of able-bodied subjects. 25% and 50% isometric maximum voluntary contractions were captured. A comparative investigation was performed against gel electrodes, assessing the effect of material properties on signal fidelity and strength compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>When isolating for electrode surface area and pressure, 31 of the 40 materials demonstrated strong positive correlations in their mean PSD with gel electrodes (r > 95, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The inclusion of ionic liquids in the material composition, and using raised or flat electrodes, did not demonstrate a significant effect in signal quality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>For EMG dry-contact electrodes, comparing the performance against gel electrodes for the application with the selected material is important. Other factors recommended to be studied are electrodes' durability and long-term stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"20556683211061995"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8811440/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39771161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An exploratory study: The effects of sleep systems on sleep quality, pain and carer goals for non-ambulant children and young people with cerebral palsy.","authors":"Nicola Wood,&nbsp;Sarah Brown","doi":"10.1177/20556683211070729","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211070729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Sleep systems are supports used in lying, forming part of 24 h posture management programmes, for children and adults with severe motor disorders. Improved posture reduces likelihood of secondary complications such as pain and poor sleep quality, thus improving quality of life. The study aims are to investigate the effect of sleep systems on sleep quality and quantity, pain for young people with Cerebral Palsy and outcomes for carers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Baseline data were gathered for 1 month prior to sleep system provision. Comparative data with the sleep system in place, were gathered for 5 months. The sample comprised four children with Cerebral Palsy, GMFCS level V, average age of 11.5, who did not have a sleep system. Data on sleep quality and quantity was gathered using the Chailey Sleep Questionnaire and sleep diaries and pain levels using the Paediatric Pain Profile. GAS Light verbal outcome measure was used to measure carer goals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests were used, demonstrating pain levels remained static, improvements in sleep quality and quantity were found and carer goals achieved.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A small sample size and subjective data collection methods were used; further research is required to obtain more conclusive results.</p>","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"20556683211070729"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/60/4c/10.1177_20556683211070729.PMC8796111.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39572911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"VIPCare: Understanding the support needed to create affective interactions between new caregivers and residents with dementia.","authors":"Moojan Ghafurian,&nbsp;Linda Francis,&nbsp;Zhuofu Tao,&nbsp;Mary Step,&nbsp;Jesse Hoey","doi":"10.1177/20556683211061998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211061998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In this paper, we study the support needed by professional caregivers of those with dementia, and present a first step toward development of VIPCare, a novel application with the goal of assisting new caregivers at care-centres in interacting with residents with dementia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods study including two questionnaires, two focus groups, and seven co-design sessions with 17 professional caregivers was conducted to (a) understand caregivers' challenges/approaches used to reduce negative interactions with persons with dementia, (b) identify the existing gaps in supporting information for improving such interactions, and (c) co-design the user interface of an application that aims to help improve interactions between a new professional caregiver and persons with dementia. A pre-questionnaire assessed knowledge of smartphones and attitude toward technology. A post-questionnaire provided an initial evaluation of the designed user interface.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Focus groups emphasized the importance of role-playing learned through trial and error. The layout/content of the application was then designed in four iterative paper-prototyping sessions with professional caregivers. An iOS/Android-based application was developed accordingly and was modified/improved in three iterative sessions. The initial results supported efficiency of VIPCare and suggested a low task load index.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We presented a first step toward understanding caregiver needs and developing an application that can help reduce negative interactions between professional caregivers and those with dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"20556683211061998"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/2b/71/10.1177_20556683211061998.PMC8796076.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39749913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using real-world accelerometry-derived diurnal patterns of physical activity to evaluate disability in multiple sclerosis.","authors":"Jennifer L Keller,&nbsp;Fan Tian,&nbsp;Kathryn C Fitzgerald,&nbsp;Leah Mische,&nbsp;Jesse Ritter,&nbsp;M Gabriela Costello,&nbsp;Ellen M Mowry,&nbsp;Vadim Zippunikov,&nbsp;Kathleen M Zackowski","doi":"10.1177/20556683211067362","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211067362","url":null,"abstract":"Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a leading cause of disability affecting people typically between the ages of 20 and 50 years, with negative impacts on their quality of life. Although medications may reduce the risk of relapses for those with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), there are limited treatments to slow disability accrued from the progressive subtypes of MS. Measuring disability accrual relies on self-report or the use of clinical measures. Clinical measures for MS suffer from limitations in their ability to detect changes in function that relate to disease progression or intervention responsiveness. For example, the Expanded Disability Status Scale is a widely accepted raterbased categoricalmeasure that provides an overview of disability in people with MS; however, it has limited reliability and sensitivity for detecting small meaningful changes in motor function. 3,4 Walk tests such as the Timed 25-foot Walk and Timed-Up and Go are objective and reliable but only provide quantitative information about a moment in time, limiting the capture of daily (or even hourly) performance fluctuations that may provide an early indication of progression. Self-reported outcomes offer valuable personal perspectives but rely on memory recall, which could be confounded with cognitive changes or depression and anxiety. The heterogeneity of impairments in MS makes it challenging to find an objective outcome measure that reflects a person’s overall disability including daily fluctuations, that can be implemented in a standard way and demonstrates ecological validity. New biophysical markers that can be tailored to a person’s disability, applied in a person’s natural environment, and are simple to apply are greatly needed. Recent studies have turned to the use of motion sensors, such as accelerometers, aiming to develop a new gold standard for quantifying walking mobility. The wearable accelerometer is a non-invasive, objective, and inexpensive technology that records human movement in realtime in a real-world context. Accelerometry data are simple to acquire, making it possible to objectively study physical activity in awide range of individuals at an unprecedented temporal level (i.e., at minute level) in a person’s free-living environment. However, the methods used to analyze accelerometry data often fall well short of the richness of the accelerometry data. Current analysis methods largely rely on aggregated data summaries of either activity intensity or duration of active times defined for activity counts above a certain threshold; the data are often summarized in daily totals which leads to a loss of detail about diurnal distribution of physical activity over 24-h. Use of aggregated data removes the ability to tailor the accelerometry data to a person’s diurnal profile or to use it as a guide for interventions, ultimately expanding its clinical usefulness. To better understand how disease progression affects physical activity, it is possible to evaluate data ","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"20556683211067362"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/75/a7/10.1177_20556683211067362.PMC8771734.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39962767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A simulated experiment to explore robotic dialogue strategies for people with dementia.","authors":"Fengpei Yuan,&nbsp;Amir Sadovnik,&nbsp;Ran Zhang,&nbsp;Devin Casenhiser,&nbsp;Eun Jin Paek,&nbsp;Xiaopeng Zhao","doi":"10.1177/20556683221105768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221105768","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Persons with dementia (PwDs) often show symptoms of repetitive questioning, which brings great burdens on caregivers. Conversational robots hold promise of helping cope with PwDs' repetitive behavior. This paper develops an adaptive conversation strategy to answer PwDs' repetitive questions, follow up with new questions to distract PwDs from repetitive behavior, and stimulate their conversation and cognition.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We propose a general reinforcement learning model to interact with PwDs with repetitive questioning. Q-learning is exploited to learn adaptive conversation strategy (from the perspectives of rate and difficulty level of follow-up questions) for four simulated PwDs. A demonstration is presented using a humanoid robot.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The designed Q-learning model performs better than random action selection model. The RL-based conversation strategy is adaptive to PwDs with different cognitive capabilities and engagement levels. In the demonstration, the robot can answer a user's repetitive questions and further come up with a follow-up question to engage the user in continuous conversations.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The designed Q-learning model demonstrates noteworthy effectiveness in adaptive action selection. This may provide some insights towards developing conversational social robots to cope with repetitive questioning by PwDs and increase their quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":"9 ","pages":"20556683221105768"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/03/ef/10.1177_20556683221105768.PMC9174559.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10454969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implementation of a Virtual Reality recreation program in long-term care","authors":"L. Hayden, Ferzana Chaze, Ashwin Kamath, Andrea Azevedo, Destanee Bucko, Alexandra Jackson, Christianne Reyna, Yara Kashlan, M. Dubé, Jacqueline De Paula, Kathryn Warren-Norton, Kate Dupuis, L. Tsotsos","doi":"10.1177/20556683211070994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211070994","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction This manuscript describes the implementation of a Virtual Reality (VR) recreation program at long-term care sites across Ontario, Canada, using the RE-AIM Framework to guide the implementation and its evaluation. Methods We developed a VR recreation program to enhance the lives of long-term care residents, through 3 sequential phases. In Phase 1, we learned about resident and staff needs through focus groups, staff surveys and observations. In Phase 2, we developed 10 VR experiences, based on the data from Phase 1. In Phase 3, we implemented the VR experiences and supporting manual and measured their implementation, using the RE-AIM Framework. Results We found the VR program to be highly (but not consistently) implementable across all sites. Factors that supported implementation were the following: resident interest in the content and technology, relative ease of use for staff to implement and formally integrating VR into the recreation calendar. Factors that impeded implementation were the following: the size of the headset, inability for the headset to cast given the sites' Information Technology infrastructure and some content that was not engaging. Conclusions VR programs are highly implementable and this implementation is enhanced by integration of the program into existing recreational systems, ease of use and resident engagement.","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41357945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survey-based identification of design requirements and constraints for a wearable tremor suppression device","authors":"Yue Zhou, Devin Box, K. G. Hardy, M. Jenkins, Jayne S. Garland, M. Naish, A. L. Trejos","doi":"10.1177/20556683221094480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221094480","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Parkinsonian tremor has severely impacted the lives of 65% of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, and nearly 25% do not respond to traditional treatments. Although wearable tremor suppression devices (WTSDs) have become a promising alternative approach, this technology is still in the early stages of development, and no studies have reported the stakeholders’ opinions on this technology and their desired design requirements. Methods An online survey was distributed to affected Canadians and Canadian movement disorder specialists (MDS) to acquire information on demographics, the current state of treatments, opinions on the WTSDs, and the desired design requirements of future WTSDs. Results A total of 101 affected individuals and 24 MDS completed the survey. It was found that both groups are generally open to using WTSDs to manage tremor. The most important design requirement to end users is the adaptability to lifestyle, followed by weight and size, accurate motion, comfort, safety, quick response, and cost. Lastly, most of the participants (65%) think that the device should cost under $500. Conclusions The findings from this study can be used as guidelines for the development of future WTSDs, such that the future generations could be evaluated and accepted by the end users.","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47999980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"GripAble: An accurate, sensitive and robust digital device for measuring grip strength","authors":"M. Mace, S. A. Mutalib, M. Ogrinc, N. Goldsmith, E. Burdet","doi":"10.1177/20556683221078455","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221078455","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Grip strength is a reliable biomarker of overall health and physiological well-being. It is widely used in clinical practice as an outcome measure. This paper demonstrates the measurement characteristics of GripAble, a wireless mobile handgrip device that measures grip force both isometrically and elastically-resisted for assessment and training of hand function. Methods A series of bench tests were performed to evaluate GripAble's grip force measurement accuracy and sensitivity. Measurement robustness was evaluated through repeated drop tests interwoven with error verification test phases. Results GripAble's absolute measurement error at the central position was under 0.81 and 1.67 kg (95th percentiles; N = 47) when measuring elastically and isometrically, respectively, providing similar or better accuracy than the industry-standard Jamar device. Sensitivity was measured as 0.062 ± 0.015 kg (mean ± std; 95th percentiles: [0.036, 0.089] kg; N = 47), independent of the applied force. There was no significant performance degradation following impact from 30 drops from a height >1.5 m. Conclusion GripAble is an accurate and reliable grip strength dynamometer. It is highly sensitive and robust, which in combination with other novel features (e.g. portability, telerehabilitation and digital data tracking) enable broad applicability in a range of clinical caseloads and environments.","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43203266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preliminary testing of eye gaze interfaces for controlling a haptic system intended to support play in children with physical impairments: Attentive versus explicit interfaces","authors":"Javier L. Castellanos-Cruz, Maria F. Gomez-Medina, M. Tavakoli, P. Pilarski, K. Adams","doi":"10.1177/20556683221079694","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221079694","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Children with physical impairments may face challenges to play because of their motor impairments, which could lead to negative impacts in their development. The objective of this article was to compare two eye gaze interfaces that identified the desired toy a user wanted to reach with a haptic-enabled telerobotic system in a play activity. Methods One of the interfaces was an attentive user interface predicted the toy that children wanted to reach by observing where they incidentally focused their gaze. The other was an explicit eye input interface determined the toy after the child dwelled for 500 ms on a selection point. Five typically developing children, an adult with cerebral palsy (CP) and a child with CP participated in this study. They controlled the robotic system to play a whack-a-mole game. Results The prediction accuracy of the attentive interface was higher than 89% in average, for all participants. All participants did the activity faster with the attentive interface than with the explicit interface. Conclusions Overall, the attentive interface was faster and easier to use, especially for children. Children needed constant prompting and were not 100% successful at using the explicit interface.","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44520193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the psychosocial impact of simple robotic assistive technology on adolescents with neuromuscular disease","authors":"L. Oldford, N. Hanson, Isabelle Ross, Emma Croken, Lise Bleau","doi":"10.1177/20556683221087522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221087522","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Adolescents with neuromuscular disease face significant challenges accessing social leisure activities. Assistive technology has provided new opportunities for those with neuromuscular disease to augment their social lives and leisure pursuits. However, there is limited research evaluating the impact of these technologies. Methods This study employed mixed methods to evaluate the potential impact of simple robotics on psychosocial factors and quality of life for those adolescents living with neuromuscular diseases. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were performed, as well as the adult Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Technology Device (PIADS) with 9 adolescents, ranging in age from 13 to 19 years old. Results Thematic analysis of the qualitative data resulted in five major themes: everyday lives and seasonality; socialization; leisure activities; robotics as a leisure activity; and ease of use of robotics. The PIADS found the individual scores demonstrated a range from very little yet positive perceived impact to maximum positive impact in each subscale (competence, adaptability, and self-esteem). Conclusions Simple mainstream robotics, paired with personalized access methods to control them, offer potential leisure and social integration opportunities to adolescents with neuromuscular diseases in a variety of settings, indoors and outdoors. The findings of this study suggest there are opportunities for this type of mainstream technology to be applied not just to adolescents, but potentially children of all ages with neuromuscular disease, across a variety of environments.","PeriodicalId":43319,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43588324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}