Determining the Accuracy of Oculus Touch Controllers for Motor Rehabilitation Applications Using Quantifiable Upper Limb Kinematics: Validation Study

Background: As commercial motion tracking technology becomes more readily available, it is necessary to evaluate the accuracy of these systems before using them for biomechanical and motor rehabilitation applications. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relative position accuracy of the Oculus Touch controllers in a 2.4 x 2.4 m play-space. Methods: Static data samples (n=180) were acquired from the Oculus Touch controllers at step sizes ranging from 5 to 500 mm along 16 different points on the play-space floor with graph paper in the x (width), y (height), and z (depth) directions. The data were compared with reference values using measurements from digital calipers, accurate to 0.01 mm; physical blocks, for which heights were confirmed with digital calipers; and for larger step sizes (300 and 500 mm), a ruler with hatch marks to millimeter units. Results: It was found that the maximum position accuracy error of the system was 3.5 ± 2.5 mm at the largest step size of 500 mm along the z-axis. When normalized to step size, the largest error found was 12.7 ± 9.9% at the smallest step size in the y-axis at 6.23 mm. When the step size was <10 mm in any direction, the relative position accuracy increased considerably to above 2% (approximately 2 mm at maximum). An average noise value of 0.036 mm was determined. A comparison of these values to cited visual, goniometric, and proprioceptive resolutions concludes that this system is viable for tracking upper-limb movements for biomechanical and rehabilitation applications. The accuracy of the system was also compared with accuracy values from previous studies using other commercially available devices and a multicamera, marker-based professional motion tracking system. Conclusions: The study found that the linear position accuracy of the Oculus Touch controllers was within an agreeable range for measuring human kinematics in rehabilitative upper-limb exercise protocols. Further testing is required to ascertain acceptable repeatability in multiple sessions and rotational accuracy. (JMIR Biomed Eng 2019;4(1):e12291) doi: 10.2196/12291