Using Kinect for upper-limb functional evaluation in home rehabilitation: A comparison with a 3D stereoscopic passive marker system

The functional evaluation of the upper-limb can be clinically assessed through the analysis of the kinematics, the dynamics, and measures of motor control. Such measures are usually obtained in a clinical environment with commercial stereoscopic 3D devices that allow to sample kinematics at high frequency and with high accuracy and precision, but that are, on the other hand, expensive, time consuming, and, most of all, are not portable. Consequently, such assessments are available only in clinics. With the aim of developing applications for neurological patients movement analysis in home environment, an experimental study has been conducted to compare the performances of a passive-marker motion capture system with the Kinect. Data were acquired simultaneously with the two systems during reaching against gravity movements. Results suggest that Kinect may be a valid tool for studying reaching against gravity and assessing upper-limb functionality at home in neurological patients.