Modified Xbox used for stroke rehabilitation

Engineering students at Rutgers University created a new and inexpensive hand rehabilitation system for those recovering from a stroke. The virtual rehabilitation system combines a modded Xbox and an Essential Reality P5 gaming glove, which detects finger motions. The console runs homebrew software with two kinds of exercises to assist in recovering hand functions. The first has patients wipe away bars to make an image visible. The second has patients make a fist to scare away a butterfly. While the glove can detect finger flexing motion and give instant feedback, it isn’t as great as commercial rehabilitation systems. However, the cost for the modded Xbox plus the glove is around $600, ten times less than a commercial system. One possibility is that the Xbox package could be used for home rehabilitation and for clinics that don’t have a large enough budget to afford expensive equipment.