An Iterative Learning Game for Hand Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients: A Feasibility Study Case

Abstract

This paper aims to develop a gamified hand rehabilitation program tailored for stroke patients with finger muscle weakness. Additionally, the program aims to assist physiotherapists in monitoring stroke patients' progress during their rehabilitation, regardless of their location. The rehabilitation program is designed in the format of a game, with a keyboard serving as the input device. The layout of the keyboard buttons in the games is based on the physical structure of arm muscles and the average hand size of the Thai population. The results of collecting objects in the game are displayed in units of time. Furthermore, there is a reporting feature that stores the results of hand rehabilitation sessions and presents them in report format. In the experiments, a comparison is made between traditional hand physiotherapy and hand physiotherapy through the game. The findings indicate that designing a keyboard-based button system for hand physiotherapy in a game closely resembles traditional hand physiotherapy. The movements of the thumb and little finger were found to elicit the most responsive muscle activity. The accuracy of muscle responses was approximately 76%, with an overall accuracy rate of around 70%. Overall, this game is one of the techniques that can support hands' rehabilitation, and the fingers' muscles respond to the game.