Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke Patients (GRASP)

IntroductionThe Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke PatientsGRASPFast Track SBIR program will promote recovery of hand function following stroke through an instrumented orthosis that enables functional practice of manual tasks in fun and engaging activities within a virtual environmentThe effort combines patented sensor glove technology developed under the NASA space suit program with a commercial hand orthosis and modern game engine technologyGRASP will automatically assess a patient s functional level and adapt the challenge to his her capabilitiesIn each sessionthe system will automatically produce valid metrics of hand functionproviding both patients and providers with immediate feedback on status and progressThe low cost product will support independent home use as well as serve as part of a therapistguided in patientskilled nursingoutpatienthome healthor teletherapy rehabilitation programProblem to be addressedGRASP addresses the critical challenges ofimproving outcomes in hand therapy through task directed practice and mental imagery that promote functional recoveryenabling increased dosageintensityand duration through independent home use and teletherapyminimizing total cost of rehabilitation by reducing patient therapist travelandimproving services in underserved areasLong Term GoalImproved outcomes and functional independence for patients with acquired brain injuryPhase I SummaryPhase I of the Fast Track will produce a prototype system that consists of a sensor package and software application that permits a commercial glove orthosis to be used for practice of virtual activities of daily livingADLsin a compelling virtual worldA pilot study conducted by the University of VirginiaUVaUVa HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospitaland Continuum Home Health will investigate the primary Phase I hypothesiswhich states that GRASP generated metrics correlate significantly with accepted measures of hand functionTwo Phase I case studies led by home health therapists will explore usability in the home environment and serve as pathfinders for Phase II efficacy trialsPhase II SummaryPhase II of the Fast Track will includedevelopment of a commercial systemextension of the range of hand therapy activities and expansion of virtual environments to provide an engaging and motivating experience acrossweeks of treatmentprovider tools for prescribing and monitoring status progressandteletherapy interfacesA Phase II efficacy study will investigate improvement in standardized assessment scores and adherence for GRASP at home therapy vsstandard careRandomizedcontrolled trials will be led by UVa in partnership with HealthSouth and Continuum Home HealthCommercial OpportunityApproximatelyof theindividuals hospitalized due to stroke each year in the U Ssuffer from chronic deficits in hand and or arm functionGRASP is poised to rapidly transition evidence based research to market by leveraging an existing brand with well defined distribution channels The proposed Glove Rehabilitation Application for Stroke PatientsGRASPproduct consists of an instrumented glove orthosis and virtual world based software that will enable functional practice of activities of daily living through a standard personal computerThe proposed Fast Track SBIR research addresses important public health concerns byimproving stroke outcomes in hand function by enabling increased frequency and intensity of practicepromoting functional recovery through combined physical practice and mental imageryproviding reliable tracking mechanisms for patient activityfunctional statusand progressincreasing access to remote and underserved areas through teletherapy servicesandcontrolling cost by reducing patient therapist travel expenses