FarMyo: A Serious Game for Hand and Wrist Rehabilitation Using a Low-Cost Electromyography Device

FarMyo addresses the critical challenge of patient adherence in physical therapy by integrating serious gaming with low-cost surface electromyography technology. By transforming repetitive hand and wrist rehabilitation exercises into an engaging, farm-themed interactive experience, the system provides a viable alternative to traditional, often monotonous, clinical routines. The primary objective is to improve recovery outcomes for patients suffering from conditions such as strokes by fostering consistent participation through dynamic difficulty adjustments and achievement-based reward structures.

The technical foundation of the system relies on the Myo Armband paired with a custom multilayer perceptron neural network. This architecture processes electromyographic data in half-second intervals, enabling the classification of specific wrist gestures that are not natively supported by the hardware. Rigorous testing confirms the efficacy of this approach, yielding a 98.3% accuracy rate in gesture recognition. This high level of precision ensures that the game interface responds reliably to patient movements, creating a seamless bridge between physical effort and digital feedback.

Clinical evaluations involving stroke recovery patients and input from physiotherapy professionals validate the system as a comfortable, accessible, and cost-effective solution for home-based rehabilitation. By combining machine learning with a rule-based methodology, the platform ensures that exercises remain appropriately challenging throughout the recovery process. Ultimately, the integration of these technologies offers a scalable framework for modernizing rehabilitation, effectively balancing technical sophistication with the psychological necessity of maintaining patient motivation during long-term recovery.