New Motion Sensors Aid Recovering Stroke Patients

Strokes occur when there is a disturbance in a brain vessel, depriving the brain of blood and oxygen. This causes the brian to not function correctly, often times leading to neurological damage and even immobility of the limbs. A stroke makes it much more difficult to do every day tasks, leading many scientists to strive to develop more effective and quicker physical therapy treatments. Researches from the University of Oxford have developed a new system utilizing test sensors that aid stroke patients in relearning many of their forgotten functions in a more timely and encouraging fashion. These test sensors are very similar to ones found in the controls of the Wii, a video game console made by Nintendo. Their working prototype is a collection of twelve infrared cameras that work in unison, following reflective markers placed on the patient. This is a similar method as to ones used on the creation of computer- generated movies that monitor actors' movements. In the Oxford University's system,  the sensors monitor movement of the patient, allowing their motions to be tracked. This gives the physiotherapists a better idea of what in particular needs to be done to help the patient. Exercises can thus be specialized for individual patients, insuring quicker recovery times. The hope is to develop a smaller model of this system that can be used at home without a need of a professional supervisor. After an initial test in the physician's lab, all test will be run at home where they will be sent back to the doctor elctronically for interpretation. The records of these tests will allow patients to easily gauge improvement, which can be very encouraging in that situation. Many doctors see the significance of a positive mentality towards sticking with therapy, and believe this could be a major lift to patient's spirits. With the increase in smaller, cheaper, and more effective technology (especially from video games) it seems that home units will be easily produced and quite affordable. Clinical trails are in the planning stages, and with the further development of the technology it seems this could be a reality for stroke patients in the next few years.   

 

BBC