April 29, 2025
Speculative Video
Physical Therapist Feedback:
While discussing our project with a physical therapist at UW Med, we found ways to alter our design to have the maximum positive affect for our users while still remaining valuable to health care practicioners. We learned about focusing on closed chain exercises, which involve the user being stationary. Similarly, when focusing on user limbs, there are different exercises for each such as rolling a ball up a wall for shoulder mobility. Doing so shifts our stretch's focus onto grip strength, rather than a push or pull force which we stayed with.
Our tangible changes focused on how we designed our exercises. We chose to hone in on circular exercises rather than just measuring force. Additionally, altering our UI to show session data rather than long term data is better for in the moment progress tracking. This is why we have a live graph for the force/pressure over time. Additionally, one of our stretch goals will be to measure twisting or pinching on the stretch robot so that we may better aid finger impairments.
In all, by focusing more on everyday acitivites rather than mobility as a whole, we believe this robot can effectively aid patients in living a more independent life.