Haptic Interface for Sensorimotor Retraining Study

Abstract

Focal hand dystonia is an acquired disorder in which an individual cannot distinguish sensory stimulation or control individual fingers. The brain of individuals with this disorder will recognize the fingers as one unit. The goal of our project is to create a device that will help to retrain these individuals. Use of our device should encourage neural re-organization in cortical centers by retraining the patient to perceive with and use each finger separately. We are designing a device that will produce vibrotactile stimulation in individual fingers and detect a user response. The device will be interfaced with a computer that can alter the sequence and challenge level of stimulation to create engaging, rewarding tasks and therapies.