Stroke rehabilitation can be a monotonous and uninspiring experience, resulting in many patients recovering not as well as they could. We hosted a hangout with researchers from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center who have developed a couple tools that make stroke rehab considerably more exciting while improving the effectiveness of the therapy. Here’s our conversation with Lynne Gauthier and Lise Worthen-Chaudhari about the technologies they’ve been working on:
Lynne Gauthier, a neuroscientist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, developed a video game that forces patients to use the side of their body affected by stroke. Patients wear a glove with sensors that they use to control the game, while a mit restricts their “good hand” from doing the work instead.
Lise Worthen-Chaudhari, associate director of the Motion Analysis and Recovery Laboratory at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, developed Embedded Arts. The digital program is used to help patients with limited mobility. Motion detectors are worn on the part of the body that needs to be exercised, and the patient moves that body part to make artwork that appears on a screen as they move.