Development of a haptic interface for motor rehabilitation therapy using augmented reality

Abstract

In this paper, a robot-assisted therapy system is presented, mainly focused on the improvement of fine movements of patients with motor deficits of upper limbs. This system combines the use of a haptic device with an augmented reality environment, where a kind of occupational therapy exercises are implemented. The main goal of the system is to provide an extra motivation to patients, who are stimulated visually and tactilely into a scene that mixes elements of real and virtual worlds. Additionally, using the norm of tracking error, it is possible to quantitatively measure the performance of the patient during a therapy session, likewise, it is possible to obtain information such as runtime and the followed path.