Using a Webcam to Assess Upper Extremity Proprioception: Experimental Validation and Application to Persons Post
Guillem Cornella-Barba1, Andria J Farrens1, Christopher A Johnson2
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 17, 2024
Summary
We developed OpenPoint, a webcam-based system to measure upper extremity (UE) proprioception. This technology accurately quantifies proprioceptive deficits, offering a new tool for clinical assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computer Science
Background:
- Proprioception deficits are common in various medical conditions.
- Current assessment methods are often not easily deployable.
- There is a need for accessible technologies to quantify proprioceptive impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel, accessible method for quantifying upper extremity (UE) proprioception.
- To assess the efficacy of the OpenPoint system in unimpaired individuals and post-stroke patients.
Main Methods:
- Developed OpenPoint, a computer vision system using a webcam to automate a pointing task.
- Quantified pointing error in the frontal plane using a deep-learning library (MediaPipe).
- Validated the method in unimpaired adults and post-stroke participants, comparing results with a robotic assessment.
Main Results:
- OpenPoint reliably detected increased pointing error when proprioceptive feedback was removed in unimpaired adults.
- Post-stroke participants showed significantly increased pointing error (p < 0.001).
- Pointing error correlated with independent robotic measures of finger proprioception (r = 0.62, p = 0.02).
Conclusions:
- OpenPoint is a validated, novel method for assessing UE proprioception.
- The system utilizes affordable computer technology, enabling widespread clinical and telemedicine use.
- This technology has the potential to democratize quantitative proprioception testing.
