I-Corps: A Tele-Rehabilitation Platform for Interactive Therapy

本项目将生物工程的方法和原理应用于远程康复平台的设计和开发，使中风、创伤性脑损伤和脊髓损伤患者能够与治疗师、家庭成员和其他患者进行互动。这些患者的生活质量取决于长期的基于运动的康复和上述团体的支持。虽然频繁重复这些练习对恢复至关重要，但数据表明，依从性非常低。拟议的项目旨在通过个人和多人游戏来增加动机，提供指导和反馈，并使治疗师能够监控进展，从而提高依从性。研究人员结合使用运动追踪技术、视频游戏和治疗师监督来提高依从性。该平台有三个关键组成部分：1。治疗师给病人开的一套电脑游戏；2. 治疗师门户，允许治疗师评估患者，提供反馈和指导，并在治疗过程中与其他提供者协调；3. 一个基于证据的知识库，用于分析各种类型的患者，条件和治疗方案的治疗结果。两大转变定义了当前康复的趋势：首先是向循证医学的转变。第二个是康复的转变，从神经发育，强调准确执行规定的动作，到神经可塑性，强调重复和频率。从神经可塑性的角度来看，一个动作的重复次数越多，随着神经元重建它们之间的联系，识别结构就变得越强。拟议的项目利用当前的技术（运动跟踪、游戏、云服务和数据分析）来实现治疗中的这两种转变。它涉及三个关键领域的专利创新：以患者为中心的工作流程开发工具、协作卒中康复过程和使用数据分析技术的循证治疗。

This project applies the methods and principles of bioengineering in the design and development of a tele-rehabilitation platform to allow stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury patients to interact with therapists, with family members, and with other patients. The quality of life of these patients depends on longer-term exercise-based rehabilitation and support from the above groups. While frequent repetition of these exercises is critical to recovery, data indicates that compliance is very low. The proposed project seeks to increase compliance by increasing motivation through individual and multiplayer gaming, providing guidance and feedback, and enabling the therapist to monitor progress. Researchers use a combination of motion tracking technology, video games, and therapist oversight to accomplish increased compliance. The platform has three key components: 1. A set of computer games prescribed to patients by therapists; 2. A therapist portal to allow therapists to evaluate the patient, provide feedback and instructions, and coordinate with other providers in the course of treatment; 3. An evidence-based knowledgebase for the analysis of therapy outcomes for various types of patients, conditions, and therapy regimes. Two major shifts define the current trend in rehabilitation: The first is the shift toward evidence-based medicine. The second is the shift in rehabilitation from neuro-development, which emphasizes accurate performance of prescribed movements, to neuroplasticity, which emphasizes repetition and frequency. From a neuroplasticity perspective, the more repetitions of a movement, the stronger the identification fabric becomes as neurons rebuild their connections. The proposed project leverages current technology (motion tracking, gaming, cloud services, and data analytics) to enable both of these shifts in therapy. It involves patentable innovations in three key areas of patient-centered workflow development tools, collaborative stroke rehabilitation processes, and evidence-based therapy using data analytics techniques.