Using human-computer interface for rehabilitation of activities of daily living (ADL) in stroke patients: Lessons from the first prototype

Technological progress in the area of health informatics provides new prospects for the neurorehablitation of neurological patients. The CogWatch project (www.cogwatch.eu) is dedicated to development of automatized assistance system to improve motor planning and task execution for stroke survivors, who suffer from Apraxia and Action Disorganization Syndrome (AADS). The system is targeted at promoting user independence from the therapist or care-provider during performance of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). In this study, we present insights from the evaluation of the first prototype interface, designed to aid users with hot drink preparation in the kitchen environment (i.e. tea-making). Ten out of the eleven tested participants (8 patients; 3 controls) were able to prepare the selected cup of tea using the Cogwatch System. A case studies summary is presented to illustrate a successful example of patient-computer interactions and a proof of concept.