Flint Rehabilitation Devices Introduces MusicGlove, World’s First FDA Approved, Clinically Validated Music-Based Hand Rehabilitation Device

It only took two years from concept to real life use.  This probably wouln't work for me, I don't have enough finger movement and there is no way I could get the glove on my spastic fingers. One drawback is that the game works best for patients who already have moderately high hand dexterity, so folks with more severe impairments will have a harder time playing the game and benefitting from it.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141023005198/en/Flint-Rehabilitation-Devices-Introduces-MusicGlove-World%E2%80%99s-FDA#.VEryEBa8OSo

Flint Rehabilitation Devices today introduced MusicGlove™ (#musicglove), the world’s first FDA approved, clinically validated hand rehabilitation (#rehabilitation) device that uses music and gaming to make therapy (#therapy) fun and effective for the over six million people with stroke or other neurological or muscular injuries. The device, which helps increase users’ attention span, neuropsychological scores, cognitive functioning, well-being and recovery, empowers them to regain their independence by delivering a motivating therapy regimen that significantly restores hand function in just two weeks (Friedman et al., 2014). MusicGlove is now available for purchase at www.musicglove.com/shop/ in both a Home Version from $1,149.00USD (or $99.00USD/month for twelve months) and a Clinic Version from $4,199.00USD.

“Engaging with music offers a form of therapy that will keep users motivated to continue their rehabilitation regimen, and facilitates a user’s hand’s ability to recover after a stroke”

The device features a sensorized glove that tracks a user’s hand movements. This allows them to play the included therapy-based game by completing specific movements along with scrolling notes displayed on a touch screen console that are timed to the rhythm of upbeat songs (similar to Guitar Hero). These movements, such as ‘pincer grasp’ and ‘key pinch grip,’ are vital to regaining the ability to use the hand after neural damage. MusicGlove motivates a high number of intensive and functional movements that have been proven¹ to lead to clinically significant improvements in hand function.
MusicGlove is portable, easy-to-setup and easy-to-use so users can practice effective rehabilitation from the comfort of their home or on the go. Initial setup takes less than two minutes and requires no prior knowledge of how to use a computer. MusicGlove comes with everything needed to get started, right out of the box, including a dedicated 10-inch tablet (Home Version) or a 21-inch monitor (Clinic Version), the Glove, custom headphones, all connection cables and a user manual. MusicGlove is FDA approved for purchase without a prescription so users do not have to wait to start playing their way to a better life!
“Engaging with music offers a form of therapy that will keep users motivated to continue their rehabilitation regimen, and facilitates a user’s hand’s ability to recover after a stroke,” said Nizan Friedman, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Flint Rehabilitation Devices, LLC. “As music is naturally highly repetitive, people using MusicGlove typically make over 2,000 movements in a 45 minute session. In rehab, the number of repetitions is one of the most important factors for regaining hand function. Users involved in clinical studies with the device love MusicGlove and are laughing, singing along, and enjoying the experience while seeing measurable results in a short period of time.”
In addition to being fun and effective, MusicGlove changes the way clinics provide hand therapy. The device requires minimum intervention from a therapist while users play the game, so clinics can provide more intensive group therapy without increasing staff. MusicGlove also records accurate quantitative data that allows therapists to set goals for their patients and track functional improvements over time. The low price and ease of use of MusicGlove is a breath of fresh air for clinics that typically do not have access to other smart rehabilitation technology and equipment that can cost over $50,000USD and require advanced training to use.
Results of a randomized controlled trial of MusicGlove with individuals with stroke published in the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation showed that people using MusicGlove had significantly greater improvements in hand function than people doing conventional hand exercises after only two weeks. Users reported regaining the ability to open doorknobs, type on a keyboard, wash dishes, use silverware, bathe and wash themselves, and use the restroom independently after exercising with the device.
“Options for hand therapy are typically limited to using things like play-dough, rubber bands or simply following a handout of exercises,” said Dr. David Reinkensmeyer, professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California in Irvine. “People lose motivation to do these exercises and do not recover to their full potential. With MusicGlove, they can have fun with their therapy while receiving quantitative feedback on their performance. This makes it easy for them to stick to their regimen, and when users get better in the game, they are actually improving their hand function.”
Another key unique benefit of MusicGlove is the continuity it provides between users’ home and clinic regimens. People with hand impairment typically only have access to therapy in outpatient clinics for one to two days per week. The rest of the time, they are left without any motivating tools to help them recover. With MusicGlove, users can continue their therapy on their own with ease. When users return to the clinic, therapists can see exactly how much exercise they did at home and how much they improved over the course of the week.
A video showing how MusicGlove works can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88L1oW13O4A