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advancing areas which traditionally were slow to
adapt. Some systems are now appearing capable of
human movement analyze and for physiotherapy
assistance (Zhou and Hu, 2007; Pérez et al., 2010);
however, their institutional oriented approach makes
them impractical for widespread usage due to highly
technical learning curves and/or required
accommodations size and electrical requirements;
not to mention prohibitive costs. The system
presented seeks to ease the data gathering process by
offering an adaptable low cost alternative that can be
used and modified by physician, therapist and even
patients (for home-based and/or remote solutions).
Its portability allows for data gathering in a number
of diverse scenarios including home-based
rehabilitation, or even daily-activity, monitoring;
altering the therapist-patient dynamics by extending
the rehabilitation process.
Currently, visually based biomechanical models
seem to dominate the field, probably due to
traditional appreciation methodologies for patient
progression; however, inertial, chemical, electrical
sensors are broadening the perceptual capacities of
current rehabilitation practices, introducing the need
for new approaches and models. Through data
gathering practices by physicians, therapist and even
patients, a body of comparable datasets can be
generated for the formulation of statistical and
analytical methods that can reveal quantifiable
methods that can contribute in the diagnosis,
treatment and follow-up of numerous conditions.
4 CONCLUSIONS
A data acquisition system was designed and
developed as a low-cost, fast implementable
alternative for rehabilitation monitoring. Although
the device was originally thought for post-stroke
upper limb rehabilitation monitoring, its flexibility
and adaptability allowed usage in a number of
monitoring objectives. The device seeks to ease the
data gathering process by therapist and others, in
order to facilitate the development of quantifiable
methodologies and protocols.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Foundation for
Science and Technology of Portugal for their
support of some of the PhD students involved in this
article (SFRH/BD/61396/2009 and SFRH/BD/609
29/2009). Additionally, the authors would like to
acknowledge the contribution of all volunteers that
took part of the testing procedures.
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