• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.179-186
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• 2008

This paper presents a portable tele-assessment system designed for remote evaluation of the hypertonic elbow joint of neurologically impaired patients. A patient's upper limb was securely strapped to a portable limb-stretching device which is connected through Internet to a portable haptic device by which a clinician remotely moved the patient's elbow joint and felt the resistance from the patient. Elbow flexion angle and joint torques were measured from both master and slave devices and bilaterally fed back to their counterparts. In order to overcome problems associated with the network latency, two different tele-operation schemes were proposed depending on relative speed of tasks compared to the amount of time delay. For slow movement tasks, the bilateral tele-operation was achieved in real-time by designing control architectures after causality analysis. For fast movement tasks, we used a semi-real-time tele-operation scheme which provided the clinicians with stable and transparent feeling. The tele-assessment system was verified experimentally on patients with stroke. The devices were made portable and low cost, which makes it potentially more accessible to patients in remote areas.

• 한국HCI학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.02a
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• pp.33-39
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• 2006

Home modification has come to be recognized as an important intervention strategy to manage health care conditions, maintain or improve functioning, ensure safety, and reduce the wheelchair user's dependency on others. However, the availability of skilled professionals with experience in home modifications for accessibility is limited. A system that enables accurate remote assessments would be an important tool to improve our ability to perform home assessments more easily and at decreased cost. A Remote Wheelchair Accessibility Assessment System (RWAAS) using Virtualized Reality(VR) technology was developed that enabled clinicians to assess the wheelchair accessibility of users' built environments from a remote location. Characteristics of the camera and 3D reconstruction program chosen for the system significantly affect its overall reliability. In this study, we performed two reliability analyses on the hardware and software components: 1) Verification that commercial software can construct sufficiently accurate 3D models by analyzing the accuracy of dimensional measurements in a virtualized environment; 2) comparison of dimensional measurements with four camera settings. Based on these two analyses, we were able to specify a consumer level digital camera and the Photomodeler Pro software for this system. And we then tested the feasibility of the selected software and hardware in an actual environment. Lastly, A field evaluation was performed to test whether this new system is comparable to the traditional method of accessibility assessment to evaluate its ability to assess the accessibility of a wheelchair user's typical built environment. The results of field trials showed high congruence between the assessments by two methods. Findings suggested that the RWAAS assessments have the potential to enable specialists to assess potential accessibility problems in built environments regardless of the location of the client, home, or specialist.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.153-161
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• 2007

Stroke is the second most significant disease leading to death in Korea. The conventional therapeutic approach is mainly based on physical training, however, it usually provides the limited degree of recovery of the normal brain function. The electric stimulation therapy is a novel and candidate approach with high potential for stroke recovery. The feasibility was validated by preliminary rat experiments in which the motor function was recovered up to 80% of the normal performance level. It is thought to improve the neural plasticity of the nerve tissues around the diseased area in the stroked brain. However, there are not so much research achievements in the electric stimulation for stroke recovery as for the Parkinson's disease or Epilepsy. This study aims at the developments of a wireless variable pulse generator using ZigBee communication for future implantation into human brain. ZigBee is widely used in wireless personal area network (WPAN) and home network applications due to its low power consumption and simplicity. The developed wireless pulse generator controlled by ZigBee can generate various electric stimulations without any distortion. The electric stimulation includes monophasic and biphasic pulse with the variation of shape parameters, which can affect the level of recovery. The developed system can be used for the telerehabilitation of stroke patient by remote control of brain stimulation via ZigBee and internet. Furthermore, the ZigBee connection used in this study provides the potential neural signal transmission method for the Brain-Machine Interface (BMI).

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.156-165
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• 2021

Background: This study aimed to determine: the perspectives of the patient cohort that underwent telehealth consultation and shoulder rehabilitation during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the differences in the patients' perspectives with the two different telehealth video applications (apps) used in the study. Methods: This is a prospective study carried out during the COVID lockdown period of April to July 2020. Thirty consecutive patients from the orthopedics department of a tertiary institute in India underwent their first-ever session of a video app-based (Zoom or WhatsApp) telehealth consultation with shoulder rehabilitation exercises on a handheld mobile, tablet, or laptop device. After the virtual consultation, the patients were sent a validated telehealth usability questionnaire (TUQ) to evaluate their perspectives. Scores obtained from the TUQ were the primary outcome measure. Results: The study was completed by 30 patients (16 men and 14 women) with an average age of 56 years (range, 20-77 years). The patients who contacted us during the lockdown period with either a stiff shoulder or a conservatively treated shoulder fracture were included in the study. The average TUQ score was 13.6 (median, 14.5; range, 6-21) out of a maximum of 21 points. Eighty percent of the patients were satisfied and found the telehealth service useful. Use of the Zoom app scored significantly higher (median, 17; average, 15.6) than the WhatsApp app (median, 8.5; average, 9.6) (p=0.004). Conclusions: Patients who received telehealth consultation and shoulder rehabilitation were overall satisfied. Telehealth apps with advanced video calling features such as Zoom should be preferred for higher patient satisfaction.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 2023

Objective : To examine changes in participation patterns of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in play activities during COVID-19 by reviewing relevant literature. Methods : This scoping review was conducted via five steps. we created a research question and searched for relevant literature published in English through CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, MEDLINE, Google Scholar and Google search engine. After selecting the literature based on inclusion criteria, data were charted based on 10 items (i.e., author name, journal name, publication year, nation, authors' majors, research method, participant' age and gender as well as quantitative and qualitative results of study). The results were analyzed using descriptive numerical and thematic analyses. Results : After reviewing 437 articles and 152 websites, six articles were included. Theses articles were conducted by experts from various fields and countries. Five themes were highlighted in selected articles: COVID-19 resulted in (1) decreased time of outdoor play, (2) increased play time on screen, (3) increased time spent with family, (4) increased sensory difficulties, and (5) recommendations for services for children with disabilities and during COVID-19. Conclusion : This study suggests telerehabilitation programs about parental behavior strategies in order to solve difficulties in which children with ASD may experience when participating in play activities during disasters. Study results can be used as fundamental evidence to emphasize importance of play activities and to systematize role of occupational therapists and service guidelines for supporting play activities of children with disabilities in disasters.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2023

Background: This study was carried out to determine whether non-face-to-face physical therapy would have similar exercise effects to face-to-face physical therapy. Hence, we developed an approach for patients, unable to visit hospitals due to circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, to conduct physical therapy comfortably at home. Objects: This study aimed to compare the effects of a face-to-face and a non-face-to-face physical therapy treatment on improving a rounded shoulder posture. Methods: The participants with rounded shoulders were randomly divided into a face-toface group (n = 15) and a non-face-to-face group (n = 15), and each group performed exercises for four weeks. The exercise program consisted of the bare hands exercise, Thera-Band exercise, and foam roller exercise. The participants in the face-to-face group came to a designated place to perform their exercises, and those in the non-face-to-face group performed the exercises at their own home using Google Meet (Google). Acromial height, total scapular distance (TSD), shoulder pain and dysfunction index (SPADI), and pectoralis minor thickness were measured. Data analysis was performed using the R Statistical Software (R Core Team), and a normality test was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Results: There were no significant differences between the face-to-face and the non-face-toface groups (p > 0.05). When comparing the differences before and after the exercises, both the face-to-face and the non-face-to-face groups showed significant differences in acromial height, SPADI, and pectoralis minor thickness (p < 0.05), and both groups showed no significant difference in TSD before and after the exercises (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study support the results of previous studies reporting that shoulder stabilization exercise and pectoralis minor stretching training improves round shoulders. In addition, this study revealed that both the face-to-face and the non-face-to-face physical therapy treatments had therapeutic effects.