Touch Trainer
Touch Trainer
Background
The Center for Disease Control states that approximately 795,000 people suffer from a stroke each year thus making it the leading cause of long- term disability in the United States. When an individual suffers from a stroke, many lose somatosensation in one of their hands. This leads to a loss of the sense of touch (tactile sensation) and sense of movement of their limbs (proprioception). A patients loss of motor function typically affects the entire hand from fingers to wrist and results in much slower and weaker muscles in the arm. Additionally, patients can suffer from spasticity, or stiff, tight muscles that keep the affected hand clenched tight. Many rehabilitation facilities for stroke patients focus on assessments of movement and do not focus on the rehabilitation of somatosensation. This lack of focus is not beneficial to the patients and does not result in optimal recovery. Design a device that will focus on the rehabilitation of somatosensation in stroke patients while providing an affordable, portable, and convenient means for doing so.
Goals and Objectives
- Improve sensation in impaired hand of stroke patients after 6 months of using the cube
- Manufacture a cube at maximum size of 10” x 12” x 18” that is battery operated
- Have session lengths increase until the user can play a full song
- Use Solidworks and ANSYS for stress analysis
- Determine amount of force applied by hand
More Information
There is no portable somatosensation rehabilitation device currently available on the market for stroke patients. Our device is the first of its kind and will become more beneficial over the 5 year developmental stage. The cube will record data to make new breakthroughs in stroke rehabilitation. If beneficial, our device could help people worldwide.
Advisor Name and Email
Dr. David Reinkensmeyer
Team Leader Name and Contact
Yasmin Shokes
