IGERT Faculty Get Out of the Lab to Test the Marketability of their Innovative Wearable Technology for Stroke Rehabilitation

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 19:00:00 -0500

One important outcome of the research and development activities of this project has been a novel research platform for exploring important questions related to stroke recovery. It is well known that learned non-use is a major impediment to stroke recovery for individuals with chronic stroke. In learned non-use, the more functional arm is often used in place of the less functional arm due to repeated struggles encountered when using the less functional arm following a stroke. As part of this NSF IGERT project, IGERT PI Panchanathan and faculty McDaniel, along with IGERT trainee, Eric L. Luster, are investigating the use of ubiquitous and pervasive wearable computers to overcome learned non-use by promoting adherence to therapist-prescribed exercises and daily recommended activity levels. The current standard approach to overcoming learned non-use is constraint-induced movement therapy in which a sling or mitt placed on the more functional arm forces use of the less functional arm for 90% of waking hours over a period of three weeks. Although highly effective, this type of therapy is expensive due to the amount of therapist supervision needed, unsafe for those with motor deficits of the lower extremities due to the increased risk of falling, and may introduce issues of reduced self-confidence and increased stigma. The research being conducted as part of this NSF IGERT project is aligned to make transformative contributions to multiple disciplines through the introduction of innovative wearable technologies for motion recording and movement feedback with practical applications in rehabilitation and sports training—in particular, the technology is anticipated to provide novel rehabilitative technologies and methods for recovery from neurological injuries, and general-use devices and methods applicable to a wide variety of sports and physical activities. With almost 800,000 strokes occurring per year in the United States with an annual cost estimated at over $43 billion, a low-cost solution that is widely accessible is set to transform current approaches to stroke rehabilitation, and other neurological injuries, both locally and abroad. Another important outcome of the research activities related to this NSF IGERT project is the development and eventual commercialization of technologies for wearable motion capture and feedback. By providing low-cost solutions for motion monitoring with vibrotactile feedback capabilities for indicating errors in movement patterns, IGERT PI Panchanathan and faculty McDaniel are building a research infrastructure to promote further research and experimentation both within the IGERT project and across the Nation. McDaniel and Panchanathan are preparing to commercialize wearable motion capture and feedback solutions, with practical applications in rehabilitation and sports training, through their company, RehabDev, LLC. The company has raised initial capital to support development and marketing efforts, and is currently seeking both equity and non-equity financing through investors and Federal grants, respectively.