Development of the iPAM user interface: including feedback to aid motivation

Over the last decades increases in life expectancy have led to a growing population of older people and growing healthcare demands. Among older people a common cause of death is stroke, but a large number of people survive strokes and need rehabilitation to regain motor functions lost due to brain damage. However, there are not enough physiotherapists to optimally provide the necessary therapy. This is where rehabilitation robotics can be of use. In this project the user interface for the iPAM robotic system has been adapted in interaction with users. iPAM is a robot that attaches to the lower and upper arm to provide upper arm rehabilitation. The aim of this project was to im- prove the initial iPAM user interface by adding feedback to aid users' motivation. The user interface was changed from a screen showing a stick gure of the arm and a com- plicated robot status indicator, to a 3D scene with simpli ed indicators and additional feedback screens. The interface development was an interactive process between de- velopment and patient questionnaires, adding feedback regarding knowledge of results and regarding knowledge of performance. Patients were positive about the changes to the user interface, con rming that the added feedback screens were clear, useful and motivating. We conclude that the iPAM user interface has thus been improved by the addition of the feedback screens. Now that it has been shown that these feedback screens are motivational, the user interface might be improved further by adding more feedback about the quality of the movement, in order to make a rehabilitation robot that can be used in clinical practice.