Smart cane: Instrumentation of a quad cane with audio-feedback monitoring system for partial weight-bearing support

Abstract

Proper cane handling is one of the main goals of cane therapy in the field of physical rehabilitation. Toward that goal, a system has been developed to monitor the weight-bearing performance of the patient and provide an audio feedback to affect a patient's weight application onto the cane. The smart cane is designed to read the force measurement, to compare the read-out force and to generate an alert message if the force applied by the patient is incorrect. The system includes a graphical user interface, which allows real-time graphing of the force measurements and keeps a database for offline comparative data analysis by the therapist. It employs a wireless connection between the microcontroller and the computer using Bluetooth technology, which increases mobility of the patient. This will help the patient to achieve optimum rehabilitation that can lead to an improved balance in walking and eventually cane independence.