SpECTRUM: Smart ECosystem for sTRoke patient׳s Upper limbs Monitoring

This paper presents a new ecosystem of smart objects designed to monitor motor functions of stroke patients during rehabilitation sessions at the hospital. The ecosystem has been designed starting from an observational study as well as the Action Research Arm Test. It includes a jack and a cube for hand grasping monitoring and a smart watch for the arm dynamic monitoring. The objects embed various sensors able to monitor the pressure of the fingers, the position of the fingers, their orientation, their movements and the tremors of the patient during the manipulation tasks. The developed objects can connect, via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology, to an Android mobile application in order to send collected data during the execution of the manipulation task. Performances achieved during the sessions will be displayed on the tablet. Using the collected data, the therapists could assess the upper arm motor abilities of the patient by accessing qualitative information that is usually evaluated by visual estimations or not reported and adapt the rehabilitation program if necessary. The objects, as well as the visualization interfaces, have been evaluated with health care professionals in terms of design and functionalities. The results from this evaluation show that the objects׳ design is adapted to bring useful information on the patient׳s motor activities, while the visualization interfaces are useful, but require new functionalities. Finally, a preliminary study has been carried out with stroke patients in order to assess the usability and acceptability of such an ecosystem during rehabilitation sessions. This study indicated that the patients are willing to use the ecosystem during the sessions thanks to its easy usage.