A Multi-Modal System Featuring Wireless Flexible Sensor Patches and a Depth-Sensing Imager for Home-Based Monitoring of Rehabilitation Exercises
Runtian Yang, Yuhan Hou, Savanna Blade, Yinfei Li, Vansh Tyagi, Gloria-Edith Boudreault-Morales, José Zariffa, Xilin Liu · Integrated Circuits and Systems · 2024
Monitoring rehabilitation progress at home over the long term following a spinal cord injury (SCI) is crucial for maximizing therapeutic outcomes and enhancing the quality of life of affected individuals. Comprehensive monitoring requires collecting a range of physiological data, including surface electromyography (sEMG) and exercise motion data. Currently, assessments typically take place in clinical settings, which can be both costly and inconvenient for patients. There is a lack of accessible, user-friendly systems that allow individuals with SCI to independently gather this data at home. Additionally, video recordings may be necessary to verify that patients are positioning the sensors correctly and performing the exercises accurately. To bridge this gap, we have developed a self-contained, multi-modal sensor system that captures sEMG and motion data, along with depth-sensing video to track patient exercises while ensuring privacy by minimizing identifiable details. The system includes a configurable number of wireless, multi-sensor wearable patches that are easy to attach and comfortable for extended use, along with a time-of-flight depth-sensing camera. The multi-modal data is streamed and synchronized in real-time on a Raspberry Pi, establishing an innovative platform to support SCI rehabilitation and adaptable for various clinical monitoring applications.