A research partnership focused on pediatric rehabilitation for children with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and brain injury.
Develop high-tech, interactive toys that promote rehabilitative movement and therapy in children with motor impairments. The toys needed to measure movement, encourage play-based therapy, and store activity data for clinical evaluation.
Children with neurological conditions often have limited use of one or both arms, requiring innovative and engaging therapy tools. The toys needed to:
Detect subtle hand movements
Log motion data with timestamps
Be easily configured by therapists or clinicians
Accommodate differences in user ability and power sources
Integrate into a therapeutic setting while remaining playful and motivating
Impact ES–Rhode Island designed the electronics and embedded software for two types of rehabilitative toys: a Slot Carsystem and a Radio Controlled (RC) Car.
Both systems featured:
Hand position sensing to detect movement
Logging of motion with timestamped data via onboard memory and a USB interface
An onboard microprocessor to coordinate system functions
Configurable software parameters stored in persistent memory
Replaced the original slot car controller with microprocessor-controlled electronics
Integrated current control to adjust speed based on hand position
Powered externally (not battery-operated)
Included buttons and a knob for therapist-configurable settings without a USB connection
Used a barcode scanner to identify individual users and personalize settings
Battery-operated (powered by four AA batteries)
Integrated an RF transmitter with a frequency synthesizer to support multiple cars in the same area
Allowed simple reconfiguration via software to manage frequency changes
The toys successfully combined therapeutic utility with playful engagement, supporting physical therapy goals while making sessions more enjoyable and effective for children. Therapists could adjust device settings to each child’s ability and track their progress over time using the logged motion data.
Play-based rehabilitation tools can be both fun and clinically valuable
Embedded systems enabled adaptable, data-driven therapy tools
Therapist-configurable settings improved usability in clinical settings
Motion-logging and USB interface allowed for monitoring and long-term tracking
Modular design supported use across different types of toys and patient needs
