Capturing hand use of individuals with spinal cord injury at home using egocentric video: a feasibility study

Spinal Cord Series and Cases, 2021 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-021-00382-w · Published: February 10, 2021

Spinal Cord Injury Assistive Technology Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

This study explores if it's possible to use small cameras worn by people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) at home to record videos from their point of view. These videos can then be used to assess how well they use their hands in daily activities. The researchers wanted to see if this method could work and what challenges might come up, like privacy concerns or how easy the cameras are to use. By using computer programs to analyze the videos, the team aimed to automatically measure hand use, which could help track rehabilitation progress and provide a more accurate view of independence for people with SCI.

Study Duration

2-3 weeks

Participants

Three participants with SCI

Evidence Level

Feasibility study

Key Findings

1
Capturing activities of daily living (ADLs) using an egocentric camera in the home environment after SCI is feasible.
2
Participants were generally comfortable with the technology, with low privacy concerns, especially when only extracted metrics were shared instead of raw video footage.
3
The interaction detection algorithm yielded an F1 score of 0.75 ± 0.15, demonstrating the potential for automated analysis of hand-object interactions in home recordings.

Research Summary

This feasibility study investigated the use of egocentric video to capture hand use of individuals with SCI in their homes. Participants wore cameras to record ADLs, and the data was analyzed for hand-object interactions. The study found that capturing ADLs at home using egocentric cameras is feasible, and participants showed high compliance and low privacy concerns, especially when automatically extracted metrics were used. An algorithm was used to detect hand-object interactions in the videos, demonstrating its potential for quantifying hand use in a real-world setting, paving the way for new home-based outcome measures.

Practical Implications

Home-Based Assessment

Egocentric video can be used to assess hand function in the natural home environment, providing insights into real-world performance.

Objective Outcome Measures

Automated analysis of egocentric video can provide objective and quantitative measures of hand use, reducing reliance on self-report.

Personalized Rehabilitation

The data collected can be used to tailor rehabilitation programs and track progress in a more personalized and effective way.

Study Limitations

1
The participants recruited had times since injury ranging from 15 to 22 years.
2
The activities were not diverse and most of the recordings have repetition across recorded sessions and days.
3
Two out of three participants took more than the planned 21 days to complete the study.

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