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ePHoRt project: A web-based platform for home motor rehabilitation

Abstract:

ePHoRt is a project that aims to develop a web-based system for the remote monitoring of rehabilitation exercises in patients after hip replacement surgery. The tool intends to facilitate and enhance the motor recovery, due to the fact that the patients will be able to perform the therapeutic movements at home and at any time. As in any case of rehabilitation program, the time required to recover is significantly diminished when the individual has the opportunity to practice the exercises regularly and frequently. However, the condition of such patients prohibits transportations to and from medical centers and many of them cannot afford a private physiotherapist. Thus, low-cost technologies will be used to develop the platform, with the aim to democratize its access. By taking into account such a limitation, a relevant option to record the patient’s movements is the Kinect motion capture device. The paper describes an experiment that evaluates the validity and accuracy of this visual capture by a comparison to an accelerometer sensor. The results show a significant correlation between both systems and demonstrate that the Kinect is an appropriate tool for the therapeutic purpose of the project.