Musical Glove Helps Stroke Patients Use Their Hands Again

http://goo.gl/FCSnrJ

Every forty seconds, someone has a stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strokes are the leading cause of long-term disability in the US. Although many rehabilitation options exist for stroke patients, the problem with them is that not many of the victims keep up with their therapy once they leave the hospital. “They’re left at home, with just a list of exercises that the therapist gives them to do. It’s just not motivating, people don’t continue the therapy,” says Nizan Friedman, founder of Flint Rehabilitation Devices. Friedman is working to change that with MusicGlove, a wearable computing device designed to help patients improve their fine motor skills. The glove has tiny sensors that track the user’s hand movements, and it uses music as a way to keep people from getting bored with doing the same exercises again and again. Patients play a Guitar Hero-style game that involves pinching and gripping notes on the screen of a tablet while performing their exercises at the same time. Friedman wanted to combine robotics and music therapy, which is how he came up with the idea for the glove. #MWTG325