AI-empowered wearable rehabilitation device: PolyU develops closed-loop sensory wristband to enable personalised rehabilitation for stroke patients

To address the challenges of disability and slow rehabilitation progress associated with hemiparesis, a common sequela of stroke, a research team led by Prof. Kenneth FONG, Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Member of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), Associate Dean (Community and Global Engagement) of Graduate School and Associate Head (Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Transfer) of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, has applied intelligent closed-loop mobile technology to develop a new-generation wearable rehabilitation device, the “Remind-to-Move” (RTM) sensory wristband. Complemented by a mobile application, the device delivers instant feedback to users and automatically adjusts treatment regimens, thereby enabling more personalised home-based rehabilitation training.

The RTM sensory wristband is specifically designed for patients with hemiparesis due to neurological conditions such as stroke or cerebral palsy. By emitting vibration signals, it reminds patients to perform exercises as instructed by their therapists. The latest version is enhanced with a “closed-loop system” that integrates artificial intelligence (AI), neuroscience and kinematic technologies. By real-time comparison of the movement patterns of the hemiparetic limb with its non-affected counterpart, the system automatically adjusts training parameters such as frequency and intensity, thereby improving the patient’s mobility more effectively.

The RTM wristband is the world’s first rehabilitation intervention specifically designed to promote use of the hemiparetic arm in adult stroke patients and children with cerebral palsy. Earlier iterations adopted an “open-loop system” with fixed, preset therapy and were proven to effectively reduce “learned non-use” of the hemiparetic upper limb. To achieve more personalised rehabilitation outcomes, the team has upgraded the new-generation wristband to a “closed-loop system”, which sends cues based on the user’s actual arm movements and provides real-time feedback.

Research findings showed that both the open-loop and closed-loop RTM systems improved hand function and movement frequency. Notably, the closed-loop system exhibited more prominent advantages—compared to participants in the open-loop group, those using the closed-loop system demonstrated higher movement frequency and more marked improvements in hand function. The related study titled “Closed-loop versus open-loop ‘remind-to-move’ treatment using wearables for hemiparetic upper extremity in patients after stroke: A proof-of-concept study” has been published in Wearable Technologies.

Both the open-loop and closed-loop RTM devices have been patented in the United States and the Chinese Mainland, and the previous generation of the open-loop RTM devices has been adopted for over 10 years by 16 public hospitals in Hong Kong and international institutions such as the Kessler Rehabilitation Center in the United States, while its use has been extended to Singapore and the Chinese Mainland.

The research team is currently recruiting stroke patients to participate in a clinical study of the new version of the RTM wristband. Participants will wear the wristband and engage in a four-week telerehabilitation programme under the guidance of a professional occupational therapist. The study aims to gain deeper insight into upper-limb activity patterns and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Press release: https://polyu.me/4uX7oxR

Online coverage:

Mirage - https://polyu.me/4nzPVJr

Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3POIXUA

Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/4uidBof (subscription required); https://polyu.me/43hVD9x

Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3PbskCn

Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/49dz9Kp; https://polyu.me/4tO3Woh

Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/4dk9Ybt

Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4dQYj3X

Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/4udSGCO

Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3RiFQVp

IT Pro - https://polyu.me/4eXGnWE

Weekend Weekly - https://polyu.me/4ftKARV

Headline for HK - https://polyu.me/3Ry5WUh; https://polyu.me/4tJT3nK

Bauhinia - https://polyu.me/42OIepj

Lion Rock Daily - https://polyu.me/49rvg4G