Assistive Technologies Shirt Instrumentation

The goal of this project is to develop and implement data storage procedures, processing algorithms, and a visualization displays in order to present a useful summary of mobility between session to a therapist.

Problem Definition
Individuals recovering from post-stroke arm impairments spend significantly more time conducting therapeutic exercise at home without therapist supervision than they spend doing supervised therapy in a clinical setting. It is difficult to quantify the amount and quality of arm usage that takes place between supervised therapy sessions, which would be useful to know both as an indicator of functional recovery, and also as a way to monitor activity level and its impact on motor recovery.

Background
This purpose of this project is to identify, develop, and test a solution for a wearable goniometric- based range of motion monitoring garment with a focus in rehabilitation applications. Currently there does not exist a low cost, wearable solution for the need of in home rehabilitation monitoring for impaired patients. An assembly of 4 Spectra brand flex-type sensors woven into an elastine fabric compression shirt measures ROM based on goniometric measurements of the upper limb by monitoring 3 Degrees of Freedom at the shoulder joint; including shoulder flexion/extension and abduction/adduction, and 1 Degrees of Freedom at the elbow joint (flexion/extension). This sensor  data  is  acquired, calibrated, and transmitted to a mobile device using an Adafruit Bluetooth low energy 32u4 Feather Bluetooth low energy microcontroller. The device is powered by  a  3.7  2000 mAh  lithium polymer battery selected for an effective wireless running time of 10 hours. The resulting device is an accurate, repeatable, and potentially low cost alternative to other devices currently used in rehabilitation applications.

A. Sensor Selection
Several metrics were used in the selection of sensors. The technology needed to possess  the  following qualities:  low- profile, affordable, easily configurable, consume low amounts of energy, accurate, high measurement repeatability, and washable.

B. Data Acquisition
The method for obtaining empirical results from the garment was carefully considered. It was determined that the data acquisition should be performed by a device that was portable, lightweight, uninstructive to the user, and required low power consumption.

C. Fabric Selection
The garment fabric was not an inconsequential decision. Cotton has a tendency to shrink after washing, potentially causing error in sensor placement.

D. Power Delivery
To maintain the low-profile, portable aspect of the garment, a detachable battery source was needed. Adafruit provides a 3.7 V lithium ion polymer battery capable of supplying the necessary power required by the system for a theoretical continuous operating time of 10 hours. The battery is rechargeable via a micro USB cord.

E. Sensor Mounting
The attachment of the sensors to the garment were vital for the operation and overall success of the prototype. Bend sensors are sensitive to radius of curvature. This implies that to obtain repeatable results, the bend itself must be repeatable.

Team Information
{| class="wikitable"


 * style="text-align: center;" | Member
 * style="text-align: center;" | Biography
 * style="text-align: center;" | Discipline
 * style="text-align: center;" | Discipline


 * - align="center"
 * Abdullah Aldoussari
 * Abdullah Aldoussari is a senior in electrical engineering. He started his degree in the Fall 2014 and he emphasis in power. Also, He enjoys playing soccer and watching TV in his free time.
 * Electrical Engineering


 * - align="center"
 * Hotchkiss, Colton
 * Colton Hotchkiss is senior Computer Science student. He hopes to translate his love of computer and technology into a career in network administration or cyber security. After high school, Colton joined the U.S. Navy where he served as a Electronics Technician on the U.S.S. Cheyenne Submarine in Hawaii. Colton is married to his wife, Jessica, and most of their time is spent entertaining their two dogs. Colton spends his spare time playing League of Legends and begging his wife to buy things on Amazon..
 * Computer Science


 * - align="center"
 * MGenaro Martinez
 * I am majoring in Computer Engineering. I was born in Burley Idaho and I enjoy playing video PVP..
 * Computer Engineering


 * - align="center"
 * Yazeed Alotaibi
 * Yazeed Alotaibi is an International student from Saudi Arabia. He is a senior in electrical engineering.I am a bilingual in Arabic and English. I like to do many things in my free time such as meeting new people, learning something new from different culture, and playing soccer, volleyball, traveling, horse riding and swimming..
 * Electrical Engineering