Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2025
A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training
Published on: January 20, 2019
A Tablet-Based Technology for Objective Exercise Monitoring in Vestibular Rehabilitation: Mixed Methods Study
Brooke N Klatt1, Pedram Hovareshti2, Lisa S Holt2
1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Background:
A low-cost home exercise system called VestAid has been developed to assist participants during vestibulo-ocular reflex gaze stabilization exercises outside of clinic visits. The system includes a tablet-based app for the participant and a web-based portal for the physical therapist that provides data to make judgments about exercise accuracy and performance.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of VestAid in a pilot study of 10 participants (mean age 45 [SD 19] years; 6 women) with various vestibular diagnoses.
Methods:
All participants completed twelve 30-second horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex exercises in a seated position (6 "easy" and 6 "hard" exercises). The exercises differed by variations in the background color, pattern, and movement. One of the exercises was repeated to assess the test-retest reliability of the measure of gaze stability accuracy and head motion compliance during the exercise. Participants rated the difficulty of the exercises (0-10 where 0=easy, 10=difficult) and completed usability surveys.
Results:
Participants completed the VestAid session without adverse events. The responses from the usability survey demonstrate the acceptability of VestAid. The mean rating of the "easy" exercises was 2.7/10 (SD 1.9). The mean rating for the "difficult" exercises across participants was 4.8/10 (SD 2.1).
Conclusions:
The consistency of the mean ratings of the participants with the exercise classifications ("easy" and "difficult") suggests that VestAid has clinical utility.
