Multimodal Framework for Fine and Gross Upper-Limb Motor Coordination Assessment Using Serious Games and Robotics Articles uri icon

publication date

  • September 2024

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 23

issue

  • 18, 8175

volume

  • 14

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2076-3417

abstract

  • A critical element of neurological function is eye–hand coordination: the ability of our
    vision system to coordinate the information received through the eyes to control, guide, and direct
    the hands to accomplish a task. Recent evidence shows that this ability can be disturbed by strokes or
    other neurological disorders, with critical consequences for motor behaviour. This paper presents
    a system based on serious games and multimodal devices aimed at improving the assessment of
    eye–hand coordination. The system implements gameplay that involves drawing specific patterns
    (labyrinths) to capture hand trajectories. The user can draw the path using multimodal devices
    such as a mouse, a stylus with a tablet, or robotic devices. Multimodal input devices can allow for
    the evaluation of complex coordinated movements of the upper limb that involve the synergistic
    motion of arm joints, depending on the device. A preliminary test of technological validation with
    healthy volunteers was conducted in the laboratory. The Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) index was
    used to compare hand trajectories without considering time-series lag. The results suggest that
    this multimodal framework allows for measuring differences between fine and gross motor skills.
    Moreover, the results support the viability of this system for developing a high-resolution metric for
    measuring eye–hand coordination in neurorehabilitation.

subjects

  • Robotics and Industrial Informatics