A Spatial Augmented Reality Rehab System for Post-Stroke Hand Rehabilitation

Can your therapist even come close to duplicating this reality?
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235522337_A_spatial_augmented_reality_rehab_system_for_post-stroke_hand_rehabilitation/file/9c9605177970643f38.pdf
Introduction
Stroke represents a major health concern for the American public, ranking as a leading cause of disability. Approximately 7,000,000 Americans have suffered a stroke, and approximately 795,000 new strokes occur each year in the U.S. [1]. Similar figures reported from other countries. About 80% of acute stroke survivors lose arm and hand movement skills [2]. Stroke rehabilitation is a challenging process. Movement impairments after stroke typically require intensive treatments, hands-on physical, and occupational therapy for several weeks after the initial injury. Unfortunately, due to
economic pressures on health care providers, stroke patients are receiving less therapy and going home earlier [2]. Therefore, an important goal for Rehabilitation Engineering (RE) is to develop technology that allows individuals with stroke to practice intensive movement training without the expense of an always-present therapist [3]. We have developed a low-cost, Spatial Augmented Reality system that allows individuals with stroke to practice hand and arm movement exercises at home or at clinic with minimal interventions of a therapist.

Different from Virtual Reality (VR) in which the real world is fully replaced with a
virtual environment,  (AR) does not replace the real world but
augments a user’s view of the real world with virtual objects. Applying AR technology in RE is a new paradigm for the research in Assistive Technology (AT) [4]. AR-based RE devices provide the patient with better control over augmented environment in such a way that he feels more realism and interact in a more intuitive way.

We designed intuitive and natural interactions that can help a patient practice the foundation of manual activities that are central to activities of daily living, such as reaching, wrist-tilting, pointing, and grasping. Involving the patient in such simulations of daily activities is expected to have the additional advantage of fostering a more positive psychological approach to the rehabilitation experience. Moreover, the proposed system can be adapted to a portable low-cost home-based device that includes
communications for remote interaction with a therapist and medical team. Thus the patient can work independently, without a constant need for therapist interaction.