Proprioception Trainer

Background

Proprioception is the sensation of body position and movement without any visual or audio cues. Finger proprioception can be damaged as a result of a stroke. According to the Stroke Center, 75% of strokes occur to those of the age 65 years or older, therefore proprioception deficits are seen more at those ages. The loss of proprioception after stroke has a negative correlation with functional ability and daily use, therefore it is important to recover proprioception after stroke. Rehabilitation robots, assisting in proprioception training, have been shown to benefit those severely impaired after stroke. The purpose of this project is to develop a rehabilitation robot that assists in recovering finger proprioception.

Goal and Objectives 

The main goal of the project is to create a robot that retrains the finger proprioception of post-stroke individuals. The goal for fall quarter was to design and implement the programming of the device to animate the existing prototype. For winter, the team focused on improving the the electric circuit design and improving upon the game programming. During the spring, the team plans to improve the ergonomics of the device and test the device on various people including healthy and post-stroke patients.

Team Contact

Karina Barragan | kbarrag1@uci.edu

Advisor 

Dr. David Reinkensmeyer | dreinken@uci.edu