Jessica Logan Portfolio
Stroke Rehabilitation Game
Embedded Systems PIC Coding Project
An interactive game for stroke patients to stimulate the brain and provide upper limb rehabilitation physio. It practices reaction times by moving their arm into a set position depending on the position of an LED. Each time the LEDs light up faster making it harder for the patient to keep up. If they fail to get their arm into position before the next LED lights up then it is game over.
The Problem
Stroke rehabilitation is a combination of physical and mental stimulation. Stroke patients often find themselves partially or fully paralysed and need to retrain their brain to communicate movement back to the body. Repetition is key to making sure the effects of the physio are permanent, hence why a game will make the rehab more successful as it encourages enjoyable repetition.
The accelerometer and gyroscope sit on the back of the user's hand while the LEDs and LCD screen are in a separate box.
The LCD screen reads the instructions out to the user and then gives them a countdown. Then each LED lights u on a random order and that corresponds to the direction the user needs to move their arm.
KiCAD was used to design the PCB board for the PIC.
The PCB board was printed onto fiberglass with copper foil.
The accelerometer and gyroscope were tested and values were set for the game.
The electronics were housed in 3D printed casings with manufacturability taken into account. Under cuts etc. were consdered and the prints were made to be injection moulded parts.
A PIC Microcontroller was used to program the system. An I2C accelerometer and I2C LCD screen were also used.