Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity
Vibratory stimulation may improve post-stroke symptoms such as spasticity; however, current studies are limited by the large, clinic-based apparatus used to apply this stimulation. A wearable device could provide vibratory stimulation in a mobile form, enabling further study of this technique. An in...
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IEEE
2022-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
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| author | Caitlyn E. Seim Brandon Ritter Thad E. Starner Kara Flavin Maarten G. Lansberg Allison M. Okamura |
| author_facet | Caitlyn E. Seim Brandon Ritter Thad E. Starner Kara Flavin Maarten G. Lansberg Allison M. Okamura |
| author_sort | Caitlyn E. Seim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vibratory stimulation may improve post-stroke symptoms such as spasticity; however, current studies are limited by the large, clinic-based apparatus used to apply this stimulation. A wearable device could provide vibratory stimulation in a mobile form, enabling further study of this technique. An initial device, the vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) Glove, was deployed in an eight-week clinical study in which sixteen individuals with stroke used the device for several hours daily. Participants reported wearing the glove during activities such as church, social events, and dining out. However, 69% of participants struggled to extend or insert their fingers to don the device. In a follow-up study, eight individuals with stroke evaluated new VTS device prototypes in a three-round iterative design study with the aims of creating the next generation of VTS devices and understanding features that influence interaction with a wearable device by individuals with impaired upper-limb function. Interviews and interaction tasks were used to define actionable design revisions between each round of evaluation. Our analysis identified six new themes from participants regarding device designs: hand supination is challenging, separate finger attachments inhibit fit and use, fingers may be flexed or open, fabric coverage impacts comfort, a reduced concern for social comfort, and the affected hand is infrequently used. Straps that wrap around the arm and fixtures on the anterior arm were other challenging features. We discuss potential accommodations for these challenges, as well as social comfort. New VTS device designs are presented and were donned in an average time of 48 seconds. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1458fccdb1a748e2a54d8f0feea0b1bc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1534-4320 1558-0210 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
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| series | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-1458fccdb1a748e2a54d8f0feea0b1bc2025-08-20T03:07:37ZengIEEEIEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering1534-43201558-02102022-01-01301277128710.1109/TNSRE.2022.31748089773316Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and SpasticityCaitlyn E. Seim0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4778-3212Brandon Ritter1Thad E. Starner2Kara Flavin3Maarten G. Lansberg4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3545-6927Allison M. Okamura5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6912-1666Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USADepartment of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USADepartment of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USADepartment of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USAVibratory stimulation may improve post-stroke symptoms such as spasticity; however, current studies are limited by the large, clinic-based apparatus used to apply this stimulation. A wearable device could provide vibratory stimulation in a mobile form, enabling further study of this technique. An initial device, the vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) Glove, was deployed in an eight-week clinical study in which sixteen individuals with stroke used the device for several hours daily. Participants reported wearing the glove during activities such as church, social events, and dining out. However, 69% of participants struggled to extend or insert their fingers to don the device. In a follow-up study, eight individuals with stroke evaluated new VTS device prototypes in a three-round iterative design study with the aims of creating the next generation of VTS devices and understanding features that influence interaction with a wearable device by individuals with impaired upper-limb function. Interviews and interaction tasks were used to define actionable design revisions between each round of evaluation. Our analysis identified six new themes from participants regarding device designs: hand supination is challenging, separate finger attachments inhibit fit and use, fingers may be flexed or open, fabric coverage impacts comfort, a reduced concern for social comfort, and the affected hand is infrequently used. Straps that wrap around the arm and fixtures on the anterior arm were other challenging features. We discuss potential accommodations for these challenges, as well as social comfort. New VTS device designs are presented and were donned in an average time of 48 seconds.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9773316/Accessibilitydesignhapticspatient rehabilitationstrokeupper limb |
| spellingShingle | Caitlyn E. Seim Brandon Ritter Thad E. Starner Kara Flavin Maarten G. Lansberg Allison M. Okamura Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering Accessibility design haptics patient rehabilitation stroke upper limb |
| title | Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity |
| title_full | Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity |
| title_fullStr | Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity |
| title_short | Design of a Wearable Vibrotactile Stimulation Device for Individuals With Upper-Limb Hemiparesis and Spasticity |
| title_sort | design of a wearable vibrotactile stimulation device for individuals with upper limb hemiparesis and spasticity |
| topic | Accessibility design haptics patient rehabilitation stroke upper limb |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9773316/ |
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