Auditory biofeedback through real-time generated music for balance and gait training of stroke patients

With its universal innate appeal, music has proven potential as a motivating and enjoyable medium for the delivery of feedback information to enhance engagement and performance during repetitive motor tasks in stroke rehabilitation. Wearable sensor hardware and real-time music generation technology can productively lend themselves to movement rehabilitation for this patient group. Our work integrates principles of neurologic music therapy and auditory biofeedback in a lightweight proof-of-concept system to assess the utility of individualized musical biofeedback during balance and gait training. The sensor hardware comprises one multi-axis IMU weighing 120g, mounted on the trunk or lower limb. Inertial data is transmitted to a computer application for processing, flexible mapping and music synthesis. There are multiple interactions targeting static and dynamic tasks for balance training, providing feedback on trunk inclination and movement smoothness through a series of musical feedback strategies. In gait training, the system can provide feedback on stride periodicity or phase in addition to rhythmic cueing through music. Data from initial testing with physiotherapists and six sub-acute stroke patients suggested that the patients were able to comprehend and enjoy most interactions, though the feedback strategies had varied and sometimes insufficient perceptual salience. Future iterations will focus on improving the feedback strategies and further tests will be reported.