Wearable Medical Measurement Tools: Hand Data Glove for Rehabilitation

Measurement of joint range is a concern of many health care professionals and is used to establish a baseline and to record progress. Our team includes a Consultant Rheumatologist who has identified specific areas within hand measurement which would be of benefit to practising clinicians. Current measurement techniques available to clinicians are either invasive (x-rays) or rely heavily on manual evaluation such as vision and touch which are dependent on training and experience and results often vary between observers. Measuring tape is commonly used to measure distances e.g. between palm and fingertip which also leads to issues with accuracy, as well as patient self questionnaires which allow for interpretation. Hand measurement has many direct applications within medical practice including diagnosis, prognosis and recovery assessment of patients with conditions specific to the hand e.g. to measure how far a patient can close their fingers (with a flare up in arthritis patients may not be able to make a fist). The aim of this research is to develop a solution for measuring hand joint movement that delivers useful data to the clinician through a clear graphical user interface, enabling clinicians to efficiently make informed decisions on loss of movement. Custom developed 3D graphics of the human hand will be integrated to enhance the user experience and add educational value. In order to achieve this accurate motion capture, data of hand coordinates will be used with a sensor driven computerised glove. This research project aligns people with skill sets from the Creative Arts, Computing & Engineering, Programming and Rheumatology all of which have a vision and appreciation of how available and evolving technologies can be integrated to have a positive, direct impact on real clinical practice. The prototype is developed with insight from an active clinician in the field of Rheumatology. This facilitates direct measurement of the benefits and impact the project could have in daily clinical practice.