AL.TR.U.I.S.M: A natural user interface-based platform for cognitive and motor rehabilitation in Alzheimer's disease patients

Cognitive Rehabilitation (CR) is a relatively new approach to improve well-being for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). At present only preliminary evidence regarding efficacy is available but it is enough to suggest that this kind of rehabilitation has the potential to bring about changes in behavior, enhance well-being and maintain involvement in daily life. The present work presents a digital platform integrating Natural User Interface (NUI) for motor and cognitive rehabilitation of patients with different disease condition. It is made up of an embedded PC connected to a TV monitor with internet connection, a low-cost 3D sensor (we use Microsoft Kinect in order to allow wide diffusion of the proposed solution), and an optional e-shirt with textile electrodes for clinical signs detection. The main contribution of this work is the design and implementation of an information and communication technologies (ICT) platform, through a customized Virtual Personal Trainer (VPT) allowing the patients to perform the rehabilitation practice at home. Moreover, the system provides an audio/visual link with the medical center, so the physician can interact with the patient during the rehabilitation practice, increasing the compliance and the efficacy and making sure that the type and intensity of treatment are appropriate. Customized algorithms for calibration, people segmentation, body skeletonization and hands tracking through the Kinect sensor have been implemented in order to infer knowledge about the reaction of the end-user to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) designedfor specific cognitive domains. For proper interaction, gestures of AD patients are acquired by the sensor in the nominal functioning range, allowing 100% hands detection rate, useful for an error free human-machine.