Low-cost monitoring of patients during unsupervised robot/computer assisted motivating stroke rehabilitation

There is a need for effective stroke rehabilitation systems that can be used in undersupervised/unsupervised environments such as the home to assist in improving and/or sustaining functional outcomes. We determined the stability, accuracy and usability of an extremely low-cost mobile robot for use with a robot/computer motivating rehabilitation device, TheraDrive. The robot provided cues to discourage excessive trunk movements and to encourage arm movements. The mobile robot system was positively received by potential users, and it was accurate and stable over time. Feedback from users suggests that finding the optimal frequency and type of encouragement and corrective feedback given by the robot helper will be critical for long-term acceptance.