Fine Motor Assessment in Upper Extremity Using Custom-Made Electronic Pegboard Test.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Fine motor tests are crucial for evaluating upper extremity function.
• The Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) assesses dexterity but requires manual timing.
• There is a need for reproducible, time-efficient fine motor assessment tools that mimic natural hand movements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an electronic pegboard for efficient and reproducible fine motor skill assessment.
• To create a tool that closely replicates natural hand movements during peg manipulation.
• To compare the accuracy and efficiency of the electronic pegboard with the traditional NHPT.

Main Methods:

• Modification of a custom-made pegboard with electronic circuits and a microcontroller (ATmega2560).
• Implementation of a specific sequence for peg placement and removal.
• Integration of infrared sensors and a robust algorithm to track single peg movements.
• Testing on 15 healthy participants and comparison with traditional NHPT results.

Main Results:

• The electronic pegboard provides reliable, repeatable measurements due to its predefined sequence and electronic timer.
• The maximum timing difference between the electronic setup and traditional NHPT was 6.7%.
• The electronic system showed consistently lower (more accurate) timings compared to NHPT, which has inherent response delays.

Conclusions:

• The developed electronic pegboard offers a reproducible, time-efficient, and accurate method for fine motor skill assessment.
• Digital data storage facilitates easy tracking of progress during follow-up visits.
• Advantages include non-dependency on manual stopwatches and no need for wearable devices.