Eye-Hand Coordination Assessment/Therapy Using a Robotic Haptic Device

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the possibility of improving eye-hand coordination in children diagnosed with this problem, using a robotic mapping from a haptic user interface to a virtual environment. Our goal is to develop an assessment and training procedure that will result in improving handwriting taking advantage of the force feedback provided by the haptic device. We also incorporate inertia and viscosity effects to decrease the tremor in the hand as well as to stimulate the muscles involved in the task of holding a pencil (known as facilitation technique in the Occupational Therapy field). A set of assessment tests, commonly used by occupational therapists, were chosen to implement various functions using force, inertia and viscosity effects. The test bed used for these tasks consisted of a six-degree-of-freedom force-reflecting haptic interface device, PHANToM with the GHOST SDK Software.

The Effects of Simulated Inertia and Force Prediction on Delayed Telepresence

“…Faulring and colleagues designed a controller for the exertion of significant inertial dynamics on haptic devices within a virtual environment, and showed that "users of haptic displays should be able to interact with systems having significant inertial dynamics" (Faulring, Lynch, & Peshkin, 2005). Pernalete used a PHANToM haptic device in a scenario to improve the handwriting ability of children (Pernalete et al, 2005). They incorporated simulated inertia in order to "decrease the tremor in the hand," although the magnitude of inertia was not specified.…”

A hand rehabilitation system with force feedback for children with cerebral palsy: two case studies

“…Haptic feedback is beneficial for rehabilitation as the sense of touch is an important perception channel to feel the surrounding environment. Many VR applications, equipped with desktop haptic devices, have been developed for hand rehabilitation after stroke [10][11][12][13] and brain lesions [14] and for training handwriting [15][16][17] and assessing motor abilities of upper limb [18]. The provision of force feedback improves hand-eye coordination performance [19] and is beneficial to the disabled people whose motor skills are partially lost but their sense of touch remained [20].…”

A Survey of Haptics in Serious Gaming

“…Handwriting is an essential skill but in a high potential to lose after stroke, since the loss of motor control will harm the complex visuo-motor coordination required by handwriting. Similarly, haptics helped children improve graphmotor skills and grip strength by haptic guidance of the trajectory path [20,21]. A virtual soccer game was also stated in [22], for children who had walking problems to play soccer with assistance of the haptic driven gait orthosis device.…”