A device to monitor stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation has been developed by researchers at IIT-Hyderabad.
Critical activities like movement of the upper arms are captured by a small, chip-based, low-power device that can be embedded in a watch the patient can wear or in a mobile phone.
Trials on both versions have been done. The advantage of this IoT (Internet of Things) device is that it is simple and convenient to operate and saves patients visits to a rehabilitation centre, clinic or hospital, said the research team of Madhuri Panwar, doctorate student, and Amit Acharya, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering.
Deep-learning algorithm
The researchers have used deep-learning algorithm called ‘Convolutional Neural Network’ that helps in recognising three elementary arm movements of healthy subjects. The real time monitoring is enabled by a single tri-axial accelerometer.
Objective
The ultimate objective, the developers told BusinessLine , is to make a low-power device that will work like a 24x7 caretaker for stroke survivors who are in rehabilitation.
The data gathered over a period can help in monitoring arm rehabilitation in neuro-degenerative diseases (stroke or cerebral palsy), the researchers said.
In the long run, the continuous monitoring and feeding of data to the healthcare system become important to evaluate progress and outcomes in the treatment of these problems.
“Monitoring the activities of stroke survivors in daily life will not only help to improve the prognosis but also help in assessing the effectiveness of the therapy prescribed,” explained the researchers.
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