The interruption of rehabilitation activities caused by the COVID-19 lockdown has significant health negative consequences for the population with physical disabilities. Thus, measuring the range of motion (ROM) using remotely taken photographs, which are then sent to specialists for formal assessment, has been recommended. Currently, low-cost Kinect motion capture sensors with a natural user interface are the most feasible implementations for upper limb motion analysis. An active range of motion (AROM) measuring system based on a Kinect v2 sensor for upper limb motion analysis using Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scoring is described in this paper. Two test groups of children, each having eighteen participants, were analyzed in the experimental stage, where upper limbs’ AROM and motor performance were assessed using FMA. Participants in the control group (mean age of 7.83 ± 2.54 years) had no cognitive impairment or upper limb musculoskeletal problems. The study test group comprised children aged 8.28 ± 2.32 years with spastic hemiparesis. A total of 30 samples of elbow flexion and 30 samples of shoulder abduction of both limbs for each participant were analyzed using the Kinect v2 sensor at 30 Hz. In both upper limbs, no significant differences (p < 0.05) in the measured angles and FMA assessments were observed between those obtained using the described Kinect v2-based system and those obtained directly using a universal goniometer. The measurement error achieved by the proposed system was less than ±1° compared to the specialist’s measurements. According to the obtained results, the developed measuring system is a good alternative and an effective tool for FMA assessment of AROM and motor performance of upper limbs, while avoiding direct contact in both healthy children and children with spastic hemiparesis.

Quantifying the quality of upper limb movements is fundamental to the therapeutic process of patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Several clinical methods are currently available to assess the upper limb range of motion (ROM) in children with CP. This paper focuses on identifying and describing available techniques for the quantitative assessment of the upper limb active range of motion (AROM) and kinematics in children with CP. Following the screening and exclusion of articles that did not meet the selection criteria, we analyzed 14 studies involving objective upper extremity assessments of the AROM and kinematics using optoelectronic devices, wearable sensors, and low-cost Kinect sensors in children with CP aged 4–18 years. An increase in the motor function of the upper extremity and an improvement in most of the daily tasks reviewed were reported. In the population of this study, the potential of wearable sensors and the Kinect sensor natural user interface as complementary devices for the quantitative evaluation of the upper extremity was evident. The Kinect sensor is a clinical assessment tool with a unique markerless motion capture system. Few authors had described the kinematic models and algorithms used to estimate their kinematic analysis in detail. However, the kinematic models in these studies varied from 4 to 10 segments. In addition, few authors had followed the joint assessment recommendations proposed by the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB). This review showed that three-dimensional analysis systems were used primarily for monitoring and evaluating spatiotemporal variables and kinematic parameters of upper limb movements. The results indicated that optoelectronic devices were the most commonly used systems. The joint assessment recommendations proposed by the ISB should be used because they are approved standards for human kinematic assessments. This review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021257211).

Quantitative, efficient, and accurate measurement of upper limb motor performance is relevant for monitoring upper limb progress in daily activities of people with cerebral palsy, which is helpful to define an appropriate rehabilitation procedure. Currently, motion capture sensors using a Natural User Interface (NUI) are the most feasible solutions due to the low-cost implementation, portability, and effectiveness for upper limb motion analysis. A quantitatively assessment study of the upper limb motor performance for children with spastic hemiparesis using the NUI Kinect v2 sensor is described in this paper. The study participants were eighteen children with an average age of 8.28 ± 2.32 years having a Manual Ability Classification System level I and II. The assessment was done for each participant before and after the application of a Modified Constrained-Induced Movement Therapy (mCIMT) applied five days a week along twelve weeks. According to obtained results significant differences (p<0.05) in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) score for motor performance in abduction movement of upper limb between the first and last sessions were quantitatively detected. The described NUI assessment method helped to quantitatively show that the applied therapy sessions were effective to improve upper extremity motor performance. Additionally, the upper limb movements motorically limited after the rehabilitation therapy were also identified. The main contribution of the described NUI assessment method is its potential use as a quantitative measurement tool, which might be used by specialists to objectively diagnose and consequently define an appropriate rehabilitation therapy for patients with hemiparesis.

Introducción: La medición y caracterización de la impedancia eléctrica de los tejidos biológicos permite distinguir entre tejidos sanos y patológicos. El uso de técnicas como la tomografía de impedancia eléctrica es muy utilizada en pruebas clínicas a través de diversas aplicaciones. En este trabajo se emplea el método Linear Back Proyection (LBP) para reconstruir imágenes a partir de la medición de impedancia eléctrica con el objetivo de localizar emuladores de carcinoma insertados en modelos de agar-agar con forma de mama femenina.Método: Un arreglo anillar de ocho electrodos fue empleado para realizar mediciones de impedancia en siete modelos de agar-agar con forma de mama femenina. Se diseñó y simuló en el software COMSOL un corte transversal de una mama femenina sana (sin emuladores) que representa el plano de medición del arreglo anillar de electrodos. Se calcularon los mapas de sensibilidad de cada par de electrodos a lo largo de la medición de impedancia utilizando los datos de la distribución de conductividad del modelo simulado. Finalmente, la reconstrucción de la imagen de tomografía eléctrica para cada modelo se obtuvo aplicando el algoritmo LBP a los valores de impedancia eléctrica medidos en el arreglo anillar de electrodos.Resultados: Se calcularon los mapas de sensibilidad a partir de las mediciones de impedancia obtenidas de cada modelo experimental considerado. Como resultado se generó una matriz de sensibilidad que caracteriza la distribución de los potenciales eléctricos dentro del plano de medición simulado en COMSOL. La zona de localización obtenida fue correcta para todos los modelos experimentales con emuladores de carcinomas insertados fuera del centro del arreglo anillar de electrodos.Discusión o Conclusión: De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos del proyecto descrito, la metodología propuesta permite la generación de imágenes para localizar emuladores de carcinoma con diámetros aproximados de 1 cm, ello a través de un enfoque no iterativo. Por lo anterior, la localización no requiere una alta complejidad computacional. La localización de un emulador de carcinoma insertado en la zona central del modelo de mama femenina no se obtuvo correctamente debido a la baja sensibilidad de la configuración anillar de los electrodos en dicha zona.