A novel motion tracking system for evaluation of functional rehabilitation of the upper limbs

Upper limb function impairment is one of the most common sequelae of central nervous system in jury, especially in stroke patients and when spinal cord injury produces tetraplegia. Conventional assessment methods cannot provide objective evaluation of patient performance and the effec tiveness of therapies. The most common assessment tools are based on rating scales, which are inefficient when measuring small changes and can yield subjective bias. In this study, we designed an inertial sensorbased monitoring system composed of five sensors to measure and analyze the complex movements of the upper limbs, which are common in activities of daily living. We devel oped a kinematic model with nine degrees of freedom to analyze upper limb and head movements in three dimensions. This system was then validated using a commercial optoelectronic system. These findings suggest that an inertial sensorbased motion tracking system can be used in patients who have upper limb impairment through data integration with a virtual realitybased neurorehabili tation system.