Renovo: Prototype of a Low-Cost Sensor-Based Therapeutic System for Upper Limb Rehabilitation

Stroke patients with Upper Limb Disability (ULD) are re-acclimated to their lost motor capability through therapeutic interventions, following assessment by Physiotherapists (PTs) using various qualitative assessment protocols. However, the assessments are often biased and prone to errors. Real-time visualization and quantitative analysis of various Performance Metrics (PMs) of patient's motion data, such as - Range of Motion (RoM), Repetition Rate (RR), Velocity (V), etc., may be vital for proper assessment. In this study, we present Renovo, a wearable inertial sensor-based therapeutic system, which assists PTs with real-time visualization and quantitative patient assessment, while providing patients with progress feedback. We showcase the results of a three-week pilot study on the rehabilitation of ULD patients (N=16), in 3 successive sessions at one-week interval, following evaluation both by Renovo and PTs (N=5). Results suggest that sensor-based quantitative assessment reduces the possibility of human error and bias, enhancing efficiency of rehabilitation.