Kinarm Standard Tests
Providing researchers with the high fidelity data needed to investigate the sensory, motor and cognitive impacts of a range of neurological injuries and disease.
Kinarm Standard Tests™ provide objective quantification of brain function through the measurement of human behaviour – a method we call behaviourography™. By using the suite of standardized protocols, a researcher can characterize the participant’s performance in a Kinarm Lab in 30 to 60 minutes.
Features
- Save time with pre-programmed tasks.
- High resolution data across typical/atypical performance.
- Data converted to Z-space to provide a standardized, statistical approach to representing typical behaviour.
- Covers a broad range of brain functions across entire cognitive-motor-sensory domains – from 20 minutes to one hour.
- Supports phenotype clustering of datasets based on performance characteristics.
- Multiple levels of data export options are available including the raw data
Specifications & Information Sheets
Functionality
Interactive robotics is a technique to quantify brain function through the measurement of behaviour. Kinarm robots have been designed to be interacted with by a participant’s arm coupled to or holding the robot. By measuring arm/hand behaviour during a behavioural task, a Kinarm robot collects data about a subject’s sensory, motor and cognitive function.
- We’ve designed tasks for the robot that require different brain functions – all functions important to interact with the world around us.
- A subject is given instructions to follow to perform various tasks. Often those tasks will involve looking at virtual objects displayed in the plane of the robot.
- To complete the task, the subject moves their hands while they are coupled to/grip the Kinarm robot.
- While the subject performs the task, the robot collects lots of data about the arm/hand movement – kinematic and kinetic data – that is then sent to a computer for processing.
After the task is completed (in 2-4 minutes), our proprietary software, Dexterit-E, completes a detailed statistical analysis of the performance relative to a standardized research reference dataset.
Kinarm lab characterizes the performance using kinematic and kinetic variables such as reaction time, speed differences between limbs and direction errors.
Disclaimer: Kinarm Standard Tests is a research tool only. Kinarm Standard Tests do not offer a medical diagnosis of any type, nor are Kinarm Standard Tests to be used as an assessment tool to assist with diagnosis. A diagnosis of any brain injury or disease can only be made by a qualified health practitioner.All experimental protocols and applications to clinical populations are the sole responsibility of the researcher.
Summary of Tasks
Kinarm Standard Tests™ (3.11)
| Test | Behavioural Task | Brain Function | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| COGNITIVE | |||
| Reverse Visually Guided Reaching | Subject reaches from a central target to a peripheral target where the visual feedback is reversed compared to the actual hand position. |
Cognitive control of visuomotor skills Inhibitory control Attention |
3.5 min/arm |
| Object Hit & Avoid | Subject hits away targets with either hand and avoids distractors. Speed and number of objects increase with time. |
Rapid motor decisions Inhibitory control Spatial attention |
2.5 min |
| Trails A&B | Trail A: trace a sequence of targets numbered 1 to 25; Trail B: trace alternating numeric-alpha sequence of targets 1-A-2-B etc. | Executive function: task switching | 2.5 min |
| Spatial Span | Sequence of squares displayed; subject replays sequence by reaching to the appropriate squares in sequence. | Visuospatial working memory | 5.5 min |
| Paired-Associates Learning | Patterned squares are displayed in various locations then hidden. Subject reaches to appropriate location when subsequently shown one of the patterns. | Visuospatial working memory | 5 min |
| MOTOR | |||
| Visually Guided Reaching | Subject reaches from a central target to a peripheral target. |
Visuomotor skills Multi-joint coordination |
2 min/arm |
| Object Hit | Subject hits away balls with either hand. Speed and number of balls increase with time. |
Rapid visuomotor skills Spatial skills |
2.5 min |
| Ball on Bar | Subject moves a virtual ball balanced on a bar held by both hands to spatial targets. |
Bimanual coordination Visuomotor skills |
3.5 min |
| Arm Posture Perturbation | Subject maintains hand at target and returns to the target after an unexpected disturbance. (Exo only.) | Goal-directed motor corrections | 2 min/arm |
| Elbow Stretch | Subject relaxes; robot extends and flexes the elbow repeatedly (Exo only). | Quantify muscle tone or uncontrollable activity | 2 min/arm |
| SENSORY | |||
| Arm Position Matching | Robot moves one arm; the subject mirror-matches position with their other arm. | Somatosensation: position sense | 3 min/arm |
| Arm Movement Matching | Robot moves one arm; the subject mirror-matches movement with their other arm. | Somatosensation: kinesthesia | 3 min/arm |
| Fast Feedback Interception | Subject intercepts a moving target while countering physical perturbations, visual shifts (target or hand position); or a change in task goal (to avoid the target). | Rapid feedback processing | 3.5 min/arm |
Our Tasks
Cognitive Tests
Reverse Visually Guided Reaching
The Reverse Visually Guided Reaching task quantifies a subject’s attention, inhibitory control and cognitive control of visuomotor skills. During the task, the subject reaches the initial central target and in doing so, the movement of the cursor (white circle) representing hand position is mirror reversed relative to the central target (i.e. the visual feedback is reversed compared to the actual hand position). From there the task requires the subject to cognitively override the normal response to move the hand directly to a target and instead initiate a movement in the opposite direction.
Citation: Lowrey et al, 2022
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Object Hit and Avoid
The Object Hit and Avoid task quantifies spatial attention, rapid motor selection and inhibition control. At the start of the task the subject is shown 2 target shapes which the subject is instructed to memorize as the only shapes to hit during the task; they are instructed to avoid all other shapes or distractors (of which there are 6).
Citation: Bourke et al. 2016 ; US Patent No. 8,740,794
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Trail Making A/B
Trail Making tests are commonly used cognitive tests from the field of neuropsychology to assess task switching abilities. The version implemented for the Kinarm Labs is similar to the standard pen and paper versions. There are two parts to the overall task. In the first part, the subject must trace through a sequence of targets numbered 1 to 25 as quickly as possible (Trail A). In the second part, the subject must trace through an alternating alpha-numeric sequence of targets 1-A-2-B etc. up to 13, again for a total of 25 targets (Trail B).
Citations: Bowie and Harvey 2006 and Corrigan and Hinkeldey 1987
Typical Trail A Behaviour
Typical Trail B Behaviour
Spatial Span
The Spatial Span test is a classic test of visuospatial working memory; it tests the component of working memory that enables one to temporarily hold and manipulate information about places. Like the Trail Making test, the Spatial Span test has been adapted for the Kinarm Lab. During each trial of the task, the subject must reach to a starting location, after which 12 squares are displayed in a 3×4 grid, and a sequence of those squares will light up in random order. The subject is instructed to replay the sequence by reaching and pausing at the appropriate squares. If the subject can correctly replay the sequence, then on the next trial the length of the sequence will increase by 1, up to a maximum of 12.
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Paired Associates Learning
The Paired Associates Learning task is another classic test of visuospatial working memory that is meant measure a participant’s memory by testing their ability to associate patterns with spatial locations and recall them after a delay. Like the Trail Making test and the Spatial Span test, it has been adapted for the Kinarm Lab. During the task, images are shown in spatial locations and then hidden. Upon presentation of an image, the subject must indicate the spatial location of the hidden image.
Citation: Calkins 1896
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Motor Tests
Visually Guided Reaching
The Visually Guided Reaching task quantifies a subject’s visuomotor capabilities and multi-joint coordination. During this task, the subject is instructed to an initial central target. Once there, the subject is instructed to quickly and accurately move to a peripheral target that appears. This process is repeated a number of times both to explore the workspace and to measure variability in the subject’s responses.
Citation: Coderre et al. 2010
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Object Hit
The Object Hit task is a rapid sensorimotor decision and control test. It was developed to objectively quantify the ability of a subject to select and engage motor actions with both hands over a range of speeds and a large workspace, measuring both visuomotor skills and spatial skills. In this task, virtual paddles appear at the subject’s fingertips. The subject is instructed to use these paddles to hit and push away balls that are moving randomly towards the subject from one of 10 locations (i.e. bins). As the task proceeds the balls move at greater speeds and appear more often, making the task more difficult as time progresses.
Citation: Tyryshkin et al. 2014 ; US Patent No. 8,740,794
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Ball on Bar
The Ball on Bar task quantifies bimanual coordination and visuomotor skills. During the task, a virtual bar is presented in between the subject’s hands and a virtual ball is placed on the bar. There are 4 target circles that are presented to the subject one at a time. The object of the task is to move the virtual ball on the bar into each presented target as quickly and accurately as possible. The task has three levels. On the first level the ball is fixed to the centre of the bar. On the second level the ball’s position on the bar is a function of the angle of the bar. On the third level the ball can move freely on the bar.
Citation: Lowrey et al. 2014
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Arm Posture Perturbation*
The Arm Posture Perturbation task quantifies the subject’s ability to respond to unexpected disturbances to the arm when maintaining their hand at a target. Typical performance requires the ability to generate rapid corrective responses to these disturbances. *This task is only available with the Kinarm Exoskeleton Lab.
Citations: Bourke et al. 2015‘; Lowrey et al. 2019
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Elbow Stretch*
During the Elbow Stretch task the robot attempts to rotate a subject’s elbow over a known angular range within a specified duration. It quantifies the subject’s response to the passive stretch in order to quantify any increase in muscle tone or an uncontrollable increase in muscle activity due to joint position or motion. *This task is only available with the Kinarm Exoskeleton Lab.
Citation: Centen et al. 2017
Sensory Tests
Arm Position Matching
The Arm Position Matching task quantifies position sense in the upper limb. During the task the Kinarm robot will move one of the subject’s arms to a given position, and the subject is instructed to move their other arm to a mirror-matched position. Vision of the subject’s arms is blocked so that the subject can only use somatosensation from the arm to perceive arm position.
Citation: Dukelow et al. 2010, U.S. Patent No. 8,277,396; CN Patent No. ZL200780047665.6; JP Patent No. 5368311; CA Patent No. 2,668,364
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Arm Movement Matching
The Arm Movement Matching task quantifies perception of limb motion or kinesthesia. During the task the Kinarm robot will move the subject’s arm via a controlled trajectory to a given position. The subject is then instructed to move their other arm to match the speed and direction of the movement. Vision of both arms are blocked so that the subject can only rely on somatosensation from the arm to perceive arm position.
Learn more about the task’s development and utility from its creators.
Citations: Semrau et al. 2013; Semrau et al. 2017
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Fast Feedback interception
The Fast Feedback Interception task quantifies the ability to use sensory information to rapidly guide motor actions. Depending on the sensory or cognitive pathways involved, humans can generate goal-directed motor actions in response to a sensory stimulus within ~ 60-200 ms. This task assesses these different pathways by randomly interleaving mechanical, visual and cognitive perturbations with baseline “no perturbation” trials (Park et al., 2023).
Learn more in this interview with the co-creators.
Citations: Park K, Ritsma BR, Dukelow SP, Scott SH. (2023) A robot-based interception task to quantify upper limb impairments in proprioceptive and visual feedback after stroke. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2023 Oct 11;20(1):137. doi: 10.1186/s12984-023-01262-0.
Scott, S.H., Park, K. Method and Apparatus for Assessing Sensorimotor Performance. U.S.
Patent 11,547,325 issued: January 10, 2023, CA Patent No. 3042916 Allowed
Typical Behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
Disclaimer
Kinarm Standard Tests are research tools only. Kinarm Standard Tests do not offer a medical diagnosis of any type, nor are Kinarm Standard Tests to be used as an assessment tool to assist with diagnosis. A diagnosis of any brain injury or disease can be made only by a qualified physician or psychologist. All experimental protocols and applications to clinical populations are the sole responsibility of the researcher.
Documents
This marketing brief summarizes the suite of standardized protocols available as of the last release of Dexterit-E.
Last Updated: April 1, 2025
1.26 MB
This user guide is re-published with each release of Dexterit-E. You can find all versions in our User Guides repository. Contact support@kinarm.com for help.
Last Updated: July 24, 2025
2.7 MB
Best Used by
Basic Researchers
- Even if you’re an expert programmer, developing a new behavioural task takes time. KST allow you to achieve a “fast start” by allowing you to start collecting data right out of the box. We want to help you publish faster.
- KST can easily be integrated into undergraduate labs or graduate labs in motor control or kinesiology. Use of the tests requires limited training and provide a robust lab experiment for students to explore and deliver analyses without expert skills.
- KST removes the ‘analysis burden’ from basic researchers supporting clinical researchers in collaborative translational research.
Clinical Researchers
- KST ensures you don’t need a highly skilled programmer or data analysis expert to obtain statistical measures.
- Access to KST is flexible. You can turn on/off access to collect data with KST in line with your study plan.
Areas of Research
Kinarm Standard Tests helps researchers understand the mechanistic impact of diseases and injury on brain function:
Stroke
Investigate interaction of position sense and motor function.
Parkinson’s Disease
Investigate responses to complex cognitive loads.
Multiple Sclerosis
Quantify UL proprioceptive acuity in a research setting.
mTBI
Discrimination of subtle functional differences.
Cerebral Palsy
Study bimanual coordination.
TIA
Quantify non-transient functional changes.
Neuromodulation
Quantify the behavioural and mechanistic effects of different stimulation modes.