The Design and Evaluation of an Interactive Musical Rehabilitation System

Abstract

Research has shown that children respond positively when interactive environments are used in physical therapy. Stair-climbing is a skill that is commonly practiced in physical therapy sessions by patients with cerebral palsy, brain injuries, and lower limb amputations. Conventional stairs used in these therapy sessions do not provide therapists with any quantitative feedback nor do they provide motivational incentives to the patient. A rehabilitation therapy device is proposed that will track patient's movements and provide auditory feedback to encourage progress climbing stairs. The system will be designed following the ISO 13407 framework for user centred design activities. The effectiveness of the system will be established in a research study comparing quantitative (e.g.  time taken for each step, total therapy time, stride length) and qualitative (e.g.  patient's enjoyment and engagement and the therapist's observations) outcomes during conventional physical therapy sessions to those with the new system. It is expected that the system will make stair climbing therapy fun and engaging for patients and will improve the outcomes of physical therapy sessions. Since the system is portable and adaptable, it is expected to be extended to other physical therapies as well, such as gait therapies.