Exploring the usability of retrofit hardware to reduce compensatory movements in game controller-mediated telerehabilitation

Stroke-induced disability interferes with survivors’ participation and engagement in activities of daily living. With increasing costs of healthcare and lack of trained medical personnel, frequent supervised physical therapy is not adequately available to the majority of patients. Consumer-grade gaming controllers are emerging as a viable means to facilitate physical therapy to patients’ homes conveniently and affordably. However, their non-universal design is not always favorable to people with disability, who often experience considerable difficulty with adapting their hand posture to fit commercial designs targeted at healthy people. In attempts to complete their prescribed exercise tasks, these patients often employ compensatory strategies that may impede their recovery and increase their risk of injury. In order to improve the outcomes and safety of telerehabilitation without compromising its affordability, the possibility of mitigating motor compensation with consumer-grade gaming controllers through 3D-printed retrofit extensions is explored. A retrofit handle is designed for the Novint Falcon, a haptic device that mediates fine motor rehabilitation to allow for physiological grasp and promote wrist motion. Its impact on motor performance and compensation patterns is tested, providing preliminary evidence for the potential of this approach.