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Robotic assessment of the hand in children with cerebral palsy
ETH MIKE is a robotic device for sensorimotor assessment of hand function in patients with neurological disorders. So far, the device has been used to assess adults after stroke or persons with multiple sclerosis. This project will focus on a new target population, namely children with cerebral pals
Keywords: Children, rehabilitation, robotics, assessment, cerebral palsy, digital health, diagnostics, development, engineering, programming, research
Background
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. CP children often suffer from impaired motor and/or somatosensory hand functions, affecting their independence and quality of life. The severity of these impairments is typically quantified with clinical assessments, which are subjective and imprecise [1]. We are proposing a robotic solution for rapid and quantitative assessment of hand sensorimotor function. Such technology-driven approach can help to better understand the relationship between sensory and motor function impairment and how it affects the activities of children in daily life (such as bimanual coordination).
Robotic proprioceptive, motor and sensorimotor functions assessment
ETH MIKE is a robot for the assessment of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the index finger [2]. It can assess proprioceptive functions through a gauge position matching task [3]. It can also assess motor and sensorimotor function through tasks such as range of motion and trajectory following. The graphical user interface has been designed for adults and need to be optimised to make it more enjoyable for children.
References
N. B. Lincoln, J. Jackson, and S. Adams, “Reliability and Revision of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment for Stroke Patients Reliability and Revision of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment for Stroke Patients,” Physiotherapy, vol. 84, no. 8, pp. 358–365, 1998.
[2] M. Zbytniewska et al., “Design and Characterization of a Robotic Device for the Assessment of Hand Proprioceptive, Motor, and Sensorimotor Impairments,” in 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR), 2019, pp. 441–446.
[3] M. D. Rinderknecht, W. L. Popp, O. Lambercy, and R. Gassert, “Reliable and Rapid Robotic Assessment of Wrist Proprioception Using a Gauge Position Matching Paradigm.,” Front. Hum. Neurosci., vol. 10, p. 3
Background
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. CP children often suffer from impaired motor and/or somatosensory hand functions, affecting their independence and quality of life. The severity of these impairments is typically quantified with clinical assessments, which are subjective and imprecise [1]. We are proposing a robotic solution for rapid and quantitative assessment of hand sensorimotor function. Such technology-driven approach can help to better understand the relationship between sensory and motor function impairment and how it affects the activities of children in daily life (such as bimanual coordination).
Robotic proprioceptive, motor and sensorimotor functions assessment
ETH MIKE is a robot for the assessment of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the index finger [2]. It can assess proprioceptive functions through a gauge position matching task [3]. It can also assess motor and sensorimotor function through tasks such as range of motion and trajectory following. The graphical user interface has been designed for adults and need to be optimised to make it more enjoyable for children.
References
N. B. Lincoln, J. Jackson, and S. Adams, “Reliability and Revision of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment for Stroke Patients Reliability and Revision of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment for Stroke Patients,” Physiotherapy, vol. 84, no. 8, pp. 358–365, 1998. [2] M. Zbytniewska et al., “Design and Characterization of a Robotic Device for the Assessment of Hand Proprioceptive, Motor, and Sensorimotor Impairments,” in 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR), 2019, pp. 441–446. [3] M. D. Rinderknecht, W. L. Popp, O. Lambercy, and R. Gassert, “Reliable and Rapid Robotic Assessment of Wrist Proprioception Using a Gauge Position Matching Paradigm.,” Front. Hum. Neurosci., vol. 10, p. 3
The first part of the project will involve optimising the graphical user interface of the robotic assessment device ETH MIKE to make it more suitable and interactive for children. This will be done in close collaboration with the clinical collaborator in KU Leuven, where the device is used with CP children.
The second part of the project will involve answering a research question “how does sensory function impairment affect bimanual coordination in children with cerebral palsy?” by analysing the data collected by the clinical collaborators. This part of the project will involve data analysis of not only the robotic outcome measures from the ETH MIKE, but also data from another assessment platform KINARM [4] and clinical scores (especially to quantify bimanual coordination).
The first part of the project will involve optimising the graphical user interface of the robotic assessment device ETH MIKE to make it more suitable and interactive for children. This will be done in close collaboration with the clinical collaborator in KU Leuven, where the device is used with CP children.
The second part of the project will involve answering a research question “how does sensory function impairment affect bimanual coordination in children with cerebral palsy?” by analysing the data collected by the clinical collaborators. This part of the project will involve data analysis of not only the robotic outcome measures from the ETH MIKE, but also data from another assessment platform KINARM [4] and clinical scores (especially to quantify bimanual coordination).
- 10% Literature review on state-of-the-art hand sensorimotor assessment in CP children (comparison of clinical and robot-assisted methods)
- 40% GUI improvements to make it suitable for children
- 40% Data analysis to answer the research question
- 10% Report, presentation
- 10% Literature review on state-of-the-art hand sensorimotor assessment in CP children (comparison of clinical and robot-assisted methods) - 40% GUI improvements to make it suitable for children - 40% Data analysis to answer the research question - 10% Report, presentation
- Interest in data analysis and statistics
- Enthusiasm for clinical applications of robotics
- Experience in MATLAB programming
- Experience in using Unity platform and C# programming
- Interest in data analysis and statistics - Enthusiasm for clinical applications of robotics - Experience in MATLAB programming - Experience in using Unity platform and C# programming
Monika Zbytniewska, MEng. Imperial College London
Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory ETH Zurich
monika.zbytniewska@hest.ethz.ch