Team 9

Biometrics for Rehabilitation Software Tool for Burn Patients with Restricted Hand Mobility / The DigiFlexor

Team Members: Anna Avila
Randy Etornam Esskipe
Shirley Lowmaster
Carlos Mendez-Arias
Catalina Pardo

Team Mentors: Sydney Schaefer, PhD - SBHSE
Sara Belko, MS - Thomas Jefferson University (First Year Medical Student)

YouTube Link: View the video link below before joining the zoom meeting

Zoom Link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/3603929437

Abstract

In the United States, approximately 1.1 million burn injuries necessitate medical attention per year, and an estimated 486,000 of these individuals need treatment in the form of physical rehabilitation. Across both 2nd and 3rd degree burns, patients suffer diminished hand mobility which serves as a hindrance to their everyday tasks. The existing methods of treatment consist of wearable devices in conjunction with extensive physical therapy guidance, often leading to low patient adherence. To combat this element of adherence, the DigiFlexor, an FDA Class I software, provides enhanced visual feedback, increased level of engagement, and accurate biometric data recording for user and clinical professionals. In the pursuit to further develop the software, MATLAB and the motion tracking software were integrated and connected to the controller’s motion recordings. A navigable user interface was constructed to house the linkage between the motion controller and the DigiFlexor’s graphical tools while providing optimal visual feedback through a graphics engine. This ultimately allows for real time recording of hand motion data over a span of treatment providing specialists with the ability to create a more individualized rehabilitative regimen. Due to the need for virtual prototyping, multiple versions of the code were tested throughout multiple iterations. In accordance with FDA regulations, the holistic software was verified and validated in order to produce the aforementioned data displays. The experiments conducted ensured that the results were consistent, complete, and correct, all through the use of unit level, integration level, and software level testing.