Stretch with Stretch: Physical Therapy Exercise Games Led by a Mobile Manipulator

Matthew Lamsey; You Liang Tan; Meredith D. Wells; Madeline Beatty; Zexuan Liu; Arjun Majumdar; Kendra Washington; Jerry Feldman; Naveen Kuppuswamy; Elizabeth Nguyen; Arielle Wallenstein; Madeleine E. Hackney; Charles C. Kemp

arXiv · 2312.13279

Stretch with Stretch: Physical Therapy Exercise Games Led by a Mobile Manipulator

Matthew Lamsey·You Liang Tan·Meredith D. Wells·Madeline Beatty·Zexuan Liu·Arjun Majumdar·Kendra Washington·Jerry Feldman·Naveen Kuppuswamy·Elizabeth Nguyen·Arielle Wallenstein·Madeleine E. Hackney·Charles C. Kemp

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Abstract

Physical therapy (PT) is a key component of many rehabilitation regimens, such as treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there are shortages of physical therapists and adherence to self-guided PT is low. Robots have the potential to support physical therapists and increase adherence to self-guided PT, but prior robotic systems have been large and immobile, which can be a barrier to use in homes and clinics. We present Stretch with Stretch (SWS), a novel robotic system for leading stretching exercise games for older adults with PD. SWS consists of a compact and lightweight mobile manipulator (Hello Robot Stretch RE1) that visually and verbally guides users through PT exercises. The robot's soft end effector serves as a target that users repetitively reach towards and press with a hand, foot, or knee. For each exercise, target locations are customized for the individual via a visually estimated kinematic model, a haptically estimated range of motion, and the person's exercise performance. The system includes sound effects and verbal feedback from the robot to keep users engaged throughout a session and augment physical exercise with cognitive exercise. We conducted a user study for which people with PD (n=10) performed 6 exercises with the system. Participants perceived the SWS to be useful and easy to use. They also reported mild to moderate perceived exertion (RPE).

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Matthew Lamsey, You Liang Tan, Meredith D. Wells, Madeline Beatty, Zexuan Liu, Arjun Majumdar, Kendra Washington, Jerry Feldman, Naveen Kuppuswamy, Elizabeth Nguyen, Arielle Wallenstein, Madeleine E. Hackney, Charles C. Kemp. 2023-12-21. Stretch with Stretch: Physical Therapy Exercise Games Led by a Mobile Manipulator. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.13279

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