REACH Robot: Motion Capture-Based Robotic Interfaces to Enhance Engagement and Adherence in Pediatric Rehabilitation

The REACH Robot project is physical therapy project from Northeatern’s Rehabilitation Game and Virtual Reality (ReGame-VR) laboratory to encourage children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy to perform engaging exercises. Using motion tracking technology, the child uses their affected hand and upper limb area to control an arm on a robot, and a joystick with their unaffected hand to navigate a robot around a game board. The game objective is to test motor skills by moving game pieces into cups with sensors that will provide feedback to the child, as well as gather information for their therapist to help determine the child’s progress. The system is a low-cost alternative to expensive physical therapy costs.

Attending the 2017 MIT Undergraduate Research and Technology Conference allowed me to see what technology students are using globally to enhance their research projects. A group from Brazil used DIY microcontrollers and LEDs to create a light painting system that was used to help patients with Down Syndrome. Their system involved a game where a laser was pointed by the patient to specific items to test their ability to understand words. Their use of a game-like system is proof of its place in the rehabilitation field. The presentation for the REACH Robot system was well received, with questions from the audience regarding why we chose hardware over software, and the game aspects’ effectiveness.

A popular technology used by many was machine learning. Machine learning may be a technology that the ReGame-VR lab could use to determine the what types of exercises a child is neglecting based on historical game data or the optimal game piece locations based on patient restrictions. Upon seeing how others were using machine learning in various fields, I believe that it is something that could greatly benefit this project.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post by Gilbert Yap
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a Minor in East Asian Studies ’18