Fine Motor Control Rehabilitation
An apparatus for rehabilitation, comprising, an elongate object adapted to be hand-held and manipulated using fingers and be used in a task; and a fine motion mechanism coupled to said object and adapted to apply force to said object, sufficient to at least move said object.
1 . An apparatus for rehabilitation, comprising:
an object adapted to be hand-held by a person and manipulated using the fingers to perform a task; and
a fine motion mechanism coupled to said object and adapted to apply sufficient force to move the object in at least five degrees of freedom.
2 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus weighs less than 30 kg.
3 . An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein said object is adapted to be translated along a surface.
4 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said mechanism has a range of motion of less than 20 cm.
5 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , and comprising a controller that analyzes motion of the object to determine at least one characteristic of the person.
6 . An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the controller analyzes force applied to the object to determine at least one characteristic of the person.
7 . An apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the characteristic comprises an emotional state of the person.
8 . An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said controller has stored therein patterns of motions.
9 . An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said patterns include writing patterns.
10 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said fine motion mechanism resists motion of said object by the person.
11 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said fine motion mechanism applies resistance to motion of said object.
12 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said fine motion mechanism assists with the movement of said object.
13 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said object is equipped with at least one feedback source which imparts a stimulus to a user of the apparatus.
14 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , further at least one sensor to track motion of said object.
15 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor to track force applied to said object.
16 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein mechanism damps motion of said object.
17 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a gross motion mechanism adapted to move said fine motion mechanism, in at least 2 degrees of freedom.
18 . An apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein said gross motion mechanism is adapted to move said object from a table to a mouth of a patient.
19 . An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein said object comprises a chopstick.
20 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a separate gross motion mechanism adapted to be attached to a person having said fingers and whose movement is coordinated with movement of said object.
21 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a surface for said object to touch and which surface also functions as a display.
22 . An apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein said surface comprises a tablet computer.
23 . An apparatus for rehabilitating motor control functions related to writing, comprising:
a surface;
a stylus extending upwards from the surface; and
a motion mechanism located under the surface that is adapted to change the orientation of the pen relative to the surface.
24 . An apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein said motion mechanism is adapted to move said stylus on said surface.
25 . An apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein said motion mechanism is adapted to be moved by a person holding the stylus.
26 . An apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein said apparatus is adapted to measure a force applied to said stylus.
27 . An apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein said apparatus comprises a controller having at least one pattern of motion stored therein.
28 . An apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein said controller controls said motion mechanism responsive to said pattern.
29 . An apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein said controller measures a mental state of a patient responsive to motion of said motion mechanism.
30 . A method of fine motor control rehabilitation, comprising:
providing an object to be manipulated by fingers of a patient; and
controlling an actuator coupled to the object to provide assistance to movement of the object, said actuator providing a range of motion to the object limited to less than 30 cm and having at least five degrees of freedom of motion.
31 . A method according to claim 30 , wherein said assisted motion comprises writing.
32 . A method according to claim 30 , wherein said assisted motion comprises eating.
33 . A method of assisting a person in a daily task that involves controlling arm and finger motion comprising:
determining at least one characteristic of the task; and
using a robotic actuator to assist arm and/or finger motion.
34 . A method according to claim 33 , comprising assisting only if said act fails to complete.
35 . A method according to claim 33 , comprising assisting as a safety measure.
36 . A method according to claim 33 , comprising assisting periodically as part of a rehabilitation process.