In this thesis, Nic presents the development and evaluation of the DextEgg system, a sensor-based, gamified handheld rehabilitation device designed for unsupervised dexterity training.
Neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and multiple sclerosis frequently impair manual dexterity, limiting independence in activities of daily living. Improving dexterity is commonly tied to high-frequency, task-specific training, but the clinically required training dose is rarely achieved in routine care, and supplemental home-based exercise programs suffer from poor adherence, lack of objective monitoring, and insufficient patient management.
To address these issues, Nic has been developing the DextEgg system throughout his PhD. The system combines an egg-shaped, elastically deformable shell housing two force-sensing resistors and an inertial measurement unit with a smartphone application providing structured exercises, gamified training modalities, and real-time performance feedback.
In a first step, he developed the system and validated its usability and technical performance in a supervised single-session study with 14 participants (7 with Parkinson’s, 7 healthy adults). A second step evaluated the feasibility of unsupervised home-based training with a three-week study with nine participants with Parkinson’s disease. In both studies, the DextEgg system achieved excellent usability and high algorithm detection accuracy for exercise repetitions, and the second study showed significant improvements in patient-reported dexterity and objective motor performance for the trained hand.
Nic’s findings demonstrate that sensor-based, gamified dexterity training is feasible for unsupervised home use and provide the evidence base for future randomized controlled trials, extension to other neurological populations, and the development of remotely supervised rehabilitation models.
The development of DextEgg also led to the establishment of the start-up GoRehab, which aims to redefine rehabilitation through innovative, interactive, and data-driven solutions—starting with DextEgg.
Congratulations to Dr. Nic Krummenacher on this incredible achievement and for bringing effective and enjoyable rehabilitation to patients’ homes!
