http://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?hl=en&q=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/44072/11/Wasim_Tahir_201403_MHSc_thesis.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm05nPI8t_GcTCrsdQ2z39pYN2I08Q&oi=scholaralrt
Abstract
Upper-limb hemiparesis caused by stroke can severely limit a survivor's ability to perform activities of daily living. Treatment involves intensive, repetitive therapy that can strain
limited resources.
Rehabilitation devices have been developed to help reduce therapist burden and increase
access to therapy. However, adoption is complicated due to their expense and use of
complex actuators. A rehabilitation tool without actuators was developed to perform reaching
under varying resistance in the transverse plane and measure the reaction force at the handle.
Force measurements from the device were validated through comparison with a standard force
plate. A new method to calculate the center of applied pressure on a spherical handle mounted
on a load cell was developed and validated using 3D modeling.
Finally, a study conducted on healthy subjects demonstrated directional effects on the trajectory length and straightness, while resistance effects were seen for the maximum force, time-to-peak velocity and time-to-peak force.
