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Published in:
2014 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Experimental Validation of a Rapid, Adaptive Robotic Assessment of the MCP Joint Angle Difference Threshold
Authors : Mike D. Rinderknecht, Werner L. Popp, Olivier Lambercy, Roger Gassert
Published in: Haptics: Neuroscience, Devices, Modeling, and Applications
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
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Abstract
This paper presents an experimental evaluation of a rapid, adaptive assessment of the difference threshold (DL) of passive metacarpophalangeal index finger joint flexion using a robotic device. Parameter Estimation by Sequential Testing (PEST) is compared to the method of constant stimuli (MOCS) using a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm. The pilot study with \(13\) healthy subjects provided DLs within similar ranges for MOCS and PEST, averaging at \(2.15^{\circ }\pm 0.77^{\circ }\) and \(1.73^{\circ }\pm 0.78^{\circ }\), respectively, in accordance with the literature. However, no significant correlation was found between the two methods (\(r(11) = 0.09\), \(p = 0.762\)). The average number of trials required for PEST to converge was \(58.7\pm 17.6\), and significantly lower compared to \(120\) trials for MOCS (\(p < 0.001\)), leading to an assessment time of under \(15\) min. These results suggest that rapid, adaptive methods, such as PEST, could be successfully implemented in novel robotic tools for clinical assessment of sensory deficits.