Development of a Novel Three-Axis Force Sensor-Based Monitoring Device for Static Shoulder Therapy

Static shoulder rehabilitation exercises are performed by stroke patients suffering from shoulder subluxation, which requires pushing the hand against a rigid surface by maintaining the elbow joint at a fixed position. This method, when carried out by patients at home in the absence of a physiotherapist, can overstrain the muscles. To overcome this problem, a compact and cost-effective tabletop monitoring device for static shoulder therapy is presented in this paper. It can be used for rehabilitation applications like strength and neural function recovery of the shoulder muscles, reducing shoulder subluxation in stroke patients, etc. This device is a rigid structure that utilizes a 3D printed three-axis force sensor to which a palm rest is attached for providing force feedback when the static force is applied by the user. This paper also presents the design of the three-axis force sensor along with system mechatronics design and calibration. The device is then tested by incorporating it with a simple game interface to carry out a game-based rehabilitation exercise.