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Overview of HUGS
Overview of HUGS
Not much is understood about how babies develop manual skills during the first months after birth, particularly prior to six months of age. We suspect (hypothesize) that there are multiple patterns of skill acquisition that result in age-typical abilities by age 2. The purpose of the HUGS (Hand Use and Grasp Sensor) study is to begin to quantify those patterns by gathering data to support explanatory techniques such as latent growth modeling and predictive approaches such as machine learning . The clinical significance of identifying the range of normal patterns of hand use in infancy is that it also makes it possible to detect problematic patterns with greater accuracy. Early identification of developmental problems opens the way for children to get therapeutic intervention early, when plasticity is at its peak.
Pattern identification requires gathering data at frequent intervals during the time of a baby's rapid development . The period of just one month can see an enormous amount of development in infants. The need to check in very frequently on what the baby is doing means that our work is most effectively done not in the clinic or lab, but in the baby's home with the help of parents and others who care for the baby. Home-based research means that parents (caregivers and, of course, babies themselves) are our partners. We obviously can do nothing without your help (and we are very grateful for it!). It’s important for HUGS to capture highly accurate and reliable data but equally essential to make sure HUGS is easy and convent to use in the home. We appreciate all of your feedback. It is essential to our success.
Future Vision
Future Vision
The knowledge we are just beginning to acquire about the development of manual skills in infancy will translate to a range of smart toys that are routinely provided for every infant. Mom and dad monitor their fitness status on their smartphones with data streams coming in from their own wearable sensors . In the future, the youngest members of the household will have their own personal data streams popping up on mom and dad's dashboard as well. Among of these tracked wellness variables will be hand use and grasp development status.
In the more immediate future, we are taking the feedback we get from HUGS families and incorporating it into the next prototype of HUGS. The next build features wireless transmission of data and an instrumented toy bar that is untethered to a frame to make it easier for parents to encourage their babies to grasp and manipulate HUGS. Visit HUGS-LAB to see what our team at Catholic Biomed are doing.
If you are reading this and not yet participating in the HUGS study, but thinking you might be interested in joining us, click here for a flyer on the study with contact information for the HUGS team.
How to Use This Site
How to Use This Site
The principal purpose of this site is to provide HUGS families the resources they need to set up and use the HUGS system to collect data on their babies' developing grasp force and expanding range of movement . You can also download a more abbreviated text version of these instructions HERE. Both the website and the shorter guide to HUGS are are works in progress. Please provide comments and suggestions!
To get oriented to HUGS and the data collection process, click through the links (breadcrumbs) along the top of the page.
Shows and labels the parts of the HUGS system, how they come in the transport bag and how they look when unpacked.
Note: If the research team delivered and set HUGS up for the first time with you, you won't have the packing and packaging for transport shown.
Provides videos to walk you through setting up HUGS and getting ready to collect your baby's grasp and movement data.
Provides basic instructions on pre-session preparation and links to video walk thrus (narrated screen capture) of running the software step by step.
An app to capture hand use and grasp force data in three engagement modes.
An app to capture the patterns of your baby's spontaneous movements when not stimulated by a toy, interaction with parents, siblings (pets!) etc.
Additional subpages provide supporting information.
Arm Length and Hand Circumference
Instructions on what to measure on your baby at each session and options for recording that information.
"After action" feedback on your baby's HUGS session.
One option for recording your baby's arm and hand measurements.
How to deal with various issues. Updated as they emerge.
The Study Team
The Study Team
Manon Maitland Schladen, MSE PhD, Principal Investigator (PI)
Pete Lum, PhD, Co-PI, RERC-DC Center Director
Hsinhung (Harry) Kuo, PhD, HUGS Engineer
Tan Tran, MSc, Doctoral Candidate, HUGS Computer Scientist
Achuna Ofonedu, MS, HUGS Computer Scientist
HUGS Senior Design Students
Phone/text (call Manon): 202-302-1931
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
This study is sponsored by grant # 90REGE0004 from National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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