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Developing high-tech distance therapy for stroke patients

Researchers at the University of Essex have been awarded a share of over £690,000 to develop high-tech devices to improve the recovery of stroke patients.

The Department of Computer Science has been awarded a grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), in collaboration with three other universities and the Stroke Association to develop the 'Smart Rehabilitation' Project.

The aim of the project, which involves computer scientists and medical researchers, is to develop monitoring systems which could support home-based rehabilitation treatment for patients who have sustained a stroke. The high-tech devices would enable patients and their carers to get on-the-spot audio and visual feedback on their progress after exercise sessions.

Stroke is the largest single cause of serious adult disability in the UK. According to the Stroke Association, 10,000 people each year experience a first stroke, and another 3,000 have a further stroke. The majority of these people are elderly, who may have been in good health and leading an independent life, but following a stroke, have found themselves suddenly hospitalised or receiving hospital services at home, with subsequent needs for rehabilitation.

Essex, along with the other university teams, is also aiming to develop software to ensure that data collected by the movement sensors is transmitted to hospital or clinic-based physiotherapists in an innovation which could reduce or remove the need for face-to-face therapy. Informatics and computer science teams at the Universities of Ulster and Essex will work with physiotherapists and psychologists to produce hardware and software prototypes which will be tested among stroke patients in Sheffield and Bath.

Professor Huosheng Hu in the Department of Computer Science will lead the Essex branch of the consortium which will be developing prototype hardware and software to monitor the quality and duration of therapy interventions in a home or hospital environment.

Professor Hu explained: "We will focus on the development of two levers of complexity. One is a 3D optical tracking system that will be used to capture kinematic data from individual physiotherapy intervention and provide a full kinetic and kinematic modelling for gait and movement analysis in a laboratory setting. Another is solid-state motion sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, which can be incorporated into a bean bag to monitor the patients movements at home. An interactive user interface will be developed and a wireless link will be used to send the data to a central unit which has an internet connection."

Professor Hu said: "The key challenge is to make sure the developed system is cost-effective, easy to use and able to meet the needs of stroke patients and carers."

Notes to editors

For more information please contact Professor Huosheng Hu on 01206 872297, e-mail hhu@essex.ac.uk or the Public Relations office on 01206 872807, e-mail proffice@essex.ac.uk

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