Validation of Fitts' Law with stroke patients' reaching task ; potential application in robot-aided upper limb rehabilitation

Abstract

This study deal with validation of fitts’ law with stroke patients’ reaching task. Fitts’ Law is a linear re-lationship between movement time from start position to target position and Index of Difficulty (ID). ID is consisted of distance from start position to target position (A) and target width (W). Fitts’ Law is a one-dimensional model of reaching movement, is commonly applied to two-dimensional reaching movement. By using fitts’ law, it is possible to indicate the performance of reaching movement quantitatively. If fitts’ law can be applied to stroke patients, it is easy to evaluate their reaching movement. It is possible to know intuitively by comparing between before therapy and after therapy, therefore it is comfortable method to assess stroke patients’ reaching performance. It has advantage that therapy and assessment can be done at the same time by changing ID. Also, there are various possible targets in same ID in order to provide person-alized therapy to patients and the interest subjects and prevent the feeling of boredom and learning effect. ⓒ 2015 DGIST