Fast and accurate assessment of motor control has lacked methods to quickly assess force control in movement coordination patterns in everyday tasks. Recent advances in technology and motor research allow us to measure and analyze forces with great reliability. In this proposal we will build a prototype of a user-friendly force measurement and analysis system that provides a fast, objective and quantitative description of movement patterns associated with grip and load forces involved in prehension tasks. The proposed system will be based upon recent findings in motor control and signal processing. It will be one of the first systems providing a comprehensive assessment of the forces used to control and manipulate objects. No movement analysis system is known to allow evaluation of the control of forces produced during the manipulation of objects in everyday tasks. The potential market is large because neurological and psychological clinics, motor control research laboratories, government laboratories, educational testing services, rehabilitation centers, health insurance companies, and environmental testing laboratories are in need of such an assessment device. The novelty of our system is that it combines portability, flexibility, and accurate analysis methods based on recent findings in motor research.
The proposed movement analysis system quantifies force control and regulation. The assessment of movement impairments can be made more objective by evaluating how a given individual controls and regulates force during prehension movements when grip and load forces form a stable coordination pattern. No similar movement analysis system is on the market. The potential market consists of neurological and psychological clinics, motor control research laboratories, educational testing services, rehabilitation centers, and health insurance companies.
