Integrating auditory feedback in motor rehabilitation systems.

The goal of this paper is to address a topic that is rarely investigated in the literature of technology-assisted motor rehabilitation, i.e., the integration of auditory feedback in the rehabilitation device. We first review current trends and open issues in technology-assisted rehabilitation. Up-to-date uses of auditory feedback in such context are then reviewed. In particular, a comparative quantitative analysis over a large corpus of recent literature suggests that the potential of auditory feedback in rehabilitation systems is currently largely underestimated. Finally, several scenarios in which the use of auditory feedback can contribute to overcome some of the main current limitations of rehabilitation systems, in terms of user engagement, improved motor learning, acute phase rehabilitation, standardization of the rehabilitation process and development of home rehabilitation devices, are proposed.