Showing papers by "Pedro Silva Girao published in 2016"

Postural balance analysis using force platform for K-theragame users

Abstract: Serious games based physical therapy is currently gaining a lot of interest by the physiotherapists and game developers that are using new natural user interfaces devices to assure an easy interaction between the user under rehabilitation and his avatar immersed in a virtual reality scenario. Arm motion training, as part of stroke rehabilitation program, can be one of the main objectives of the serious games, and was the object of several serious games developed by our group, the previous works being followed by postural stability monitoring during rehabilitation developments. Thus, the balance analysis on static conditions and during the arm rehabilitation based on implemented serious games represents the objective of the work. The system presented in the paper combine Kinect Serious Game Framework and a developed force platform architecture characterized by Bluetooth communication capabilities that provide the data related to postural balance to be processed together with the upper limb training data for general evaluation of stroke rehabilitation outcome. Experimental results, including time and frequency analysis of the data obtained by the Kinect and force platform, are included in the paper.

NUI therapeutic serious games with metrics validation based on wearable devices

Abstract: The physical rehabilitation community has been demonstrating serious interest for therapeutic serious games (theragames). The paper presents a framework for theragames enriched by a natural user interface (NUI) and materialized by Kinect. A set of 3D virtual reality (VR) scenarios motivate patients to perform upper limb rehabilitation and provide armmotion metrics in an unobtrusive way. The measurements are verified using a set of wearable inertial measurement units (IMU) attached to the upper limbs. The framework is planned to be included as part of a remote physiotherapy service that may improve the physical rehabilitation process. Experimental results and appropriate data processing is included in the paper.

Quimera: The easy way to simulate Foundation Fieldbus applications

Abstract: The paper presents a simulation tool that emulates the development environment of Foundation Fieldbus (FF) applications. The idea is to use the resources provided by LabVIEW®—in particular its dataflow programming paradigm—to design, execute, and debug FF control applications. Function blocks are implemented as virtual instruments, data links are represented by virtual wires, and bus monitoring tools are replaced by application debugging tools. The simulator can easily be connected to virtual (simulated) processes or to physical (real) processes. Tests were made to evaluate the capabilities of the simulator and to assess its degree of fidelity against commercial FF systems. The goal was to release an easy-to-use, low-cost training tool to disseminate knowledge about process control using the FF technology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21761

Physiotherapy smart connected devices for S-health

Abstract: Connected healthcare devices, including medical equipments as well as personal health devices based on emerging mobile technologies used by healthcare providers and consumers, are expanding traditional means of practicing healthcare particularly physiotherapy services. We describe a system based on physiotherapy smart connected devices, as smart walker, smart crutches, force platform and natural user interface devices — characterized by different sensing technologies including piezorezistive force sensors and microwave radars. The information from the physiotherapy connected devices is stored and shared based on client-server architecture. Signals and metrics that combine the data from connected devices and serious games associated with physical rehabilitation are presented in the paper.

Ballistocardiogram: Model and sensing systems

Abstract: Heart motion and blood ejection during the cardiac cycle originates a set of body vibrations that are sensed through the usage of different sensing systems that provide the information on cardiac mechanics and cardiac output. Ballistocardiogram (BCG) and seismocardiogram (SCG) are the recording of body vibration induced by heart bit. The sensing of the BCG requires mechanical contact between the user body parts equipment and furniture embedded BCG sensing to provide data for that can be used to validate the BCG models. The heart activity generates a set of forces and reverberations that may be modeled in two directions, anteroposterior and dorsoventral. As the ballistocardiogram sensing is usually done at the person's back or at the posterior pelvic region the cardiac forces models are associated with these two directions. Additionally a set of results including the designed models simulations and the BCG validation signals obtained from BCG sensing systems prototypes are included in the paper.