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Applications of Computer Vision and Smart Sensors Technology in Rehabilitation

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 3541

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
Interests: computer vision; computer based rehabilitation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Interests: rehabilitation technologies; novel cognitive and motor therapy for people following injury or disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Information Systems, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Interests: digital humanities; advanced technology for cultural heritage; user modeling; intelligent user interfaces; smart environments; artificial intelligence; text mining; cultural heritage; machine learning; data mining and knowledge discovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Interests: computer vision; imaging; machine learning; computational human behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Occupational and physical therapy provide therapy to rehabilitation patients with cognitive and motor impairments due to trauma and diseases. Most rehabilitation programs prescribe exercises that are tailored to the individual’s therapeutic goals and the severity of the impairment.  They are typically repeated over a period of time, and should be performed with sufficient intensity and compliance to be effective. They require some form of professional monitoring of the patient’s movements throughout therapy, as well as the assessment of performance and provision of feedback. This process is time-consuming for medical and allied health professionals, and often requires either continued hospitalization (in-patient) or recurring visits by the patient (ambulatory or out-patient).

The goal of computer-enhanced methods in the field of rehabilitation is to reduce the load on the professional while maintaining effective, personalized patient rehabilitation. Directions in this field include remote monitoring, automatic assessment of motion, automated guidance and feedback, and personalization (adapting the rehabilitation programing to a specific patient). These may exploit various sensors ranging from video, RGB and depth cameras to on-body sensors and wearable sensors. These methods allow the patient to perform rehabilitation tasks with less external intervention, albeit with active monitoring by the professional. Additional goals of computer-enhanced rehabilitation include ensuring patient safety while promoting motivation and engagement to ensure adherence to therapy.

AR/VR-based exercises enable the rehabilitation system to generate more engaging cognitive-motor tasks, which can be specifically tailored to the patient’s abilities and interests.

This Special Issue focusses on the application of state-of-the-art, computer-based technologies for rehabilitation, including (but not limited to) wearable sensors, machine vision, remote monitoring, adaptation and personalization technologies applied to rehabilitation.

Prof. Dr. Ilan Shimshoni
Prof. Dr. Patrice L. (Tamar) Weiss
Prof. Dr. Tsvi Kuflik
Prof. Dr. Hagit Hel-Or
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • human body motion identification
  • human motion classification
  • exercise classification
  • exercise evaluation
  • remote rehabilitation
  • AR/VR for rehabilitation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 8832 KiB  
Article
Sollerman Hand Function Sub-Test “Write with a Pen”: A Computer-Vision-Based Approach in Rehabilitation Assessment
by Orestis N. Zestas and Nikolaos D. Tselikas
Sensors 2023, 23(14), 6449; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23146449 - 17 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1501
Abstract
Impaired hand function is one of the most frequently persistent consequences of stroke. Throughout the rehabilitation process, physicians consistently monitor patients and perform kinematic evaluations in order to assess their overall progress in motor recovery. The Sollerman Hand Function Test (SHT) is a [...] Read more.
Impaired hand function is one of the most frequently persistent consequences of stroke. Throughout the rehabilitation process, physicians consistently monitor patients and perform kinematic evaluations in order to assess their overall progress in motor recovery. The Sollerman Hand Function Test (SHT) is a valuable assessment tool used to evaluate a patient’s capacity to engage in daily activities. It holds great importance in the field of medicine as it aids in the assessment of treatment effectiveness. Nevertheless, the requirement for a therapist’s physical presence and the use of specialized materials make the test time-consuming and reliant on clinic availability. In this paper, we propose a computer-vision-based approach to the “Write with a pen” sub-test, originally included in the SHT. Our implementation does not require extra hardware equipment and is able to run on lower-end hardware specifications, using a single RGB camera. We have incorporated all the original test’s guidelines and scoring methods into our application, additionally providing an accurate hand spasticity evaluator. After briefly presenting the current research approaches, we analyze and demonstrate our application, as well as discuss some issues and limitations. Lastly, we share some preliminary findings from real-world application usage conducted at the University campus and outline our future plans. Full article
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Review

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17 pages, 2165 KiB  
Review
The Role and Importance of Using Sensor-Based Devices in Medical Rehabilitation: A Literature Review on the New Therapeutic Approaches
by Dan Alexandru Szabo, Nicolae Neagu, Silvia Teodorescu, Mihaela Apostu, Corina Predescu, Carmen Pârvu and Cristina Veres
Sensors 2023, 23(21), 8950; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23218950 - 03 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1566
Abstract
Due to the growth of sensor technology, more affordable integrated circuits, and connectivity technologies, the usage of wearable equipment and sensing devices for monitoring physical activities, whether for wellness, sports monitoring, or medical rehabilitation, has exploded. The current literature review was performed between [...] Read more.
Due to the growth of sensor technology, more affordable integrated circuits, and connectivity technologies, the usage of wearable equipment and sensing devices for monitoring physical activities, whether for wellness, sports monitoring, or medical rehabilitation, has exploded. The current literature review was performed between October 2022 and February 2023 using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus in accordance with P.R.I.S.M.A. criteria. The screening phase resulted in the exclusion of 69 articles that did not fit the themes developed in all subchapters of the study, 41 articles that dealt exclusively with rehabilitation and orthopaedics, 28 articles whose abstracts were not visible, and 10 articles that dealt exclusively with other sensor-based devices and not medical ones; the inclusion phase resulted in the inclusion of 111 articles. Patients who utilise sensor-based devices have several advantages due to rehabilitating a missing component, which marks the accomplishment of a fundamental goal within the rehabilitation program. As technology moves faster and faster forward, the field of medical rehabilitation has to adapt to the time we live in by using technology and intelligent devices. This means changing every part of rehabilitation and finding the most valuable and helpful gadgets that can be used to regain lost functions, keep people healthy, or prevent diseases. Full article
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