Development of rehabilitation device for standing position weight bearing exercise using Wii balance board

Abstract

Partial weight-bearing exercise is widely used in rehabilitation for patients with lower limb injuries. It is intended to help patients learn to what degree they can bear weight on the affected limb. General weight scales are widely used for this exercise to measure weight-bearing. These are easy to introduce, but involve some problems. One is that patients cannot easily read the scale to calculate weight-bearing rate. The purpose of this study is to develop a rehabilitation device to address this problem. The device combines the Nintendo Wii Balance BoardTM and a PC. It allows patients to observe the display unit while the device automatically calculates weight-bearing rate. In addition, patients can enjoy exercise with the Game Mode.