ERC-Small Business: Virtual Coach for Home-based Neuro-robotic Therapy

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT 1128614 Carnegie Mellon University Sieworek This effort is a collaboration between the Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center, an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) since 2006, and Myomo, a small business partner of the ERC. Myomo has been developing and testing neuro-robotic devices in leading US hospitals. The Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center has been developing a technology called Virtual Coach to coach exercises, to encourage general physical activity, and to ensure proper use of assistive technologies. The goal of the proposed collaboration is to enable therapists to provide support to their patients in a virtual context, i.e., without actually being present, through the use of computer-based surrogates. This Virtual Coach will complement another promising approach, neuro-robotic therapy, that helps patients re-learn how to move partially paralyzed (hemi-paretic) arms using their own muscle signals. This project has two objectives. The translational research objective is to specialize QoLT Virtual Coach technology to realize a neuro-robotic therapy monitoring and reporting capability. Myomo will commercialize the resulting Virtual Coach prototype, thereby broadening its product line to include valued companion software for its new line of mPower hardware devices. The exploratory research objective is to make the Virtual Coach more autonomous, i.e., to have it behave more like a human therapist through functions like self-adjusting the therapeutic regimen and responding to non-verbal cues from the patient during exercise sessions. Intellectual Merit The research addresses the significant challenge in computer-based coaching of devising algorithms that affect human behavior in an intended way. It is difficult to predict how people will react to commands, instructions, prompts and rewards. Some people respond well to nurturing, while others respond better to commands. In addition a particular individual may respond differently from day-to-day. To be a viable, pervasive solution, Virtual Coach devices will need to tune themselves to the psychology of the people they serve. The research also addresses the challenge of designing interactions between humans and sophisticated technologies for users who themselves may not be technologically inclined. This is particularly relevant for products that would most benefit older adults, who are generally among the least versed in, and sometimes intimidated by, computers, the Internet, smartphones, etc Broader Impact Stroke occurs in 2.9% of the US adult population and there are nearly 800,000 new or recurring cases annually. Neuromuscular impairment is a common consequence that can be overcome with appropriate therapy. The new product that will result form this project will alleviate some of the need for face-to-face therapy sessions, will require less time from qualified care providers, and potentially lower the total cost for therapy for stroke victims.