School of Art and Design, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.
Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 5608531, Japan.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 Apr 12;23(8):3924. doi: 10.3390/s23083924.
Tremor is a movement disorder that significantly impacts an individual's physical stability and quality of life, and conventional medication or surgery often falls short in providing a cure. Rehabilitation training is, therefore, used as an auxiliary method to mitigate the exacerbation of individual tremors. Video-based rehabilitation training is a form of therapy that allows patients to exercise at home, reducing pressure on rehabilitation institutions' resources. However, it has limitations in directly guiding and monitoring patients' rehabilitation, leading to an ineffective training effect. This study proposes a low-cost rehabilitation training system that utilizes optical see-through augmented reality (AR) technology to enable tremor patients to conduct rehabilitation training at home. The system provides one-on-one demonstration, posture guidance, and training progress monitoring to achieve an optimal training effect. To assess the system's effectiveness, we conducted experiments comparing the movement magnitudes of individuals with tremors in the proposed AR environment and video environment, while also comparing them with standard demonstrators. Participants wore a tremor simulation device during uncontrollable limb tremors, with tremor frequency and amplitude calibrated to typical tremor standards. The results showed that participants' limb movement magnitudes in the AR environment were significantly higher than those in the video environment, approaching the movement magnitudes of the standard demonstrators. Hence, it can be inferred that individuals receiving tremor rehabilitation in the AR environment experience better movement quality than those in the video environment. Furthermore, participant experience surveys revealed that the AR environment not only provided a sense of comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment but also effectively guided them throughout the rehabilitation process.
震颤是一种运动障碍，会严重影响个体的身体稳定性和生活质量，常规药物治疗或手术往往无法根治。因此，康复训练被用作辅助方法来减轻个体震颤的恶化。基于视频的康复训练是一种治疗方法，允许患者在家中进行锻炼，减轻康复机构资源的压力。然而，它在直接指导和监测患者康复方面存在局限性，导致训练效果不佳。本研究提出了一种低成本的康复训练系统，利用光学透视式增强现实（AR）技术，使震颤患者能够在家中进行康复训练。该系统提供一对一的演示、姿势指导和训练进度监测，以实现最佳的训练效果。为了评估系统的有效性，我们进行了实验，比较了个体在提出的 AR 环境和视频环境中的运动幅度，同时也将其与标准演示者进行了比较。参与者在无法控制的肢体震颤时佩戴震颤模拟装置，震颤频率和幅度根据典型震颤标准进行校准。结果表明，参与者在 AR 环境中的肢体运动幅度明显高于视频环境中的运动幅度，接近标准演示者的运动幅度。因此，可以推断在 AR 环境中接受震颤康复的个体比在视频环境中接受康复的个体运动质量更好。此外，参与者体验调查显示，AR 环境不仅提供了舒适、放松和愉悦的感觉，而且有效地指导了他们整个康复过程。
