PhysicalTherapy
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Robotic glove and games help patients regain control of their hands
What's the best way for stroke patients to gain back full control of their hands and arms? If you ask this particular team of University at Hertfordshire researchers, they'll tell you it's with the help of a robotic glove called SCRIPT or Supervised Care and Rehabilitation Involving Personal Tele-robotics. It's designed to fit over a patient's hand and forearm and is paired with a therapeutic game. This game prompts users to move every finger, wrist and arm to navigate a labyrinth or to catch fish, for instance, as part of their therapy at home.
This motion controlled dog wants to be the Candy Crush of physical therapy
Physical therapy isn't fun. It's a physical and emotional challenge that often consists of dull, repetitive tasks. It's boring, and offers patients almost no short-term rewards for their very real efforts -- but maybe it doesn't have to be that way. A new software platform called Visual Touch Therapy is trying to make physical rehabilitation fun, gamifying repetitive exercises by marrying a Leap Motion controller, a PC and a simple meme-inspired video game. The game itself is fairly simple: players perform simple motions over the Leap controller that cause a dog character to run (or fly a jetpack) across the screen, and their performance and improvement can be tracked, quantified and even sent to their physical therapist for review.
Insert Coin semifinalist: Hodu is a 'zero failure' physical therapy hardware / software combo
Hodu borrows its name from the Korean word for "walnut," a reference to the culture's use of the nut as an exercise tool in traditional medicine. The barbell-shaped device is a "zero failure" physical therapy tool, aimed at rewarding patients for even the slightest level of feedback. There are on-board pressure sensors and accelerometers for detecting activity and a series of colored LEDs that light up based on feedback levels. The team behind Hodu is also working on proprietary software to help log patients' squeezing and rotational progress. After the break is a video that should give you a bit of a better idea of precisely what Hodu is capable of. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
US military exploring Kinect for low-cost physical therapy routines
When Bill Gates first demoed his BASIC interpreter for the Altair, it seems a safe bet that he could've never guessed that his company would eventually be collaborating with the US military to introduce new forms of physical therapy. Thanks to Kinect, however, Microsoft and the Air Force are now hammering out the details of a system that could assist injured soldiers through the recovery process. Curiously, all of this may be accomplished with a PC, Kinect and off-the-shelf software such as ReMotion 360 -- all of which could help keep costs low -- although a proprietary system remains a possibility. In addition to reducing treatment costs, it's thought that a home-based approach could be a convenient alternative for those who don't live near care facilities. Even beyond physical therapy, Microsoft is also exploring Kinect's usefulness for the treatment of PTSD, which could allow the afflicted to anonymously take part in group sessions through the use of avatars. To learn more of how Microsoft is flexing Kinect's muscles with the military, feel free to hit up the source link.
Students use Wii Balance Board for kids' physical therapy system (video)
Nintendo's kid-tested, researcher-approved Wii Balance Board has struck at the heart of the medical supply industry yet again -- this time, the Bluetooth-connected scale is being used to help physically challenged children at Shriners Hospital in Houston. Seniors at Rice University hand-machined a set of force-sensitive parallel bars and programmed a monster-shooting game called Equilibrium to get kids excited about improving their walking gait, where they can play and score points with each proper step they take. The game automatically ratchets up the difficulty as patients improve, and handrails will play a part too, with a custom three-axis sensor box able to detect how much patients rely on the parallel bars (and dock points accordingly) in an effort to improve their posture. Yep, that sounds just a wee bit more useful than the Balance Board lie detector or the Wii Fit Roomba. Video after the break.
Motion Doctor turns your iPad into a physical therapist
I've got a lot of friends who are doctors, physical therapists and trigger point therapists. One thing they all tell me is that patients usually follow and perform prescribed exercises flawlessly while seeing the PT, but as time goes on and the patients are expected to do their exercises at home, they usually aren't as effective because the PT isn't there guiding their every move. Motion Doctor for iPad (US$14.99) hopes to remedy this. The app contains over 60 professionally shot videos under the guidance of Dr. Desirea Caucci, who is rated one of the top three physical therapists in the nation. The videos are divided into categories including body part, activity, sport or profession. Select your category, say "sport," then choose what sport you do most, such as bicycling. You'll then be presented with a list of exercises and stretches all cyclists should be doing in order to prevent injury. Tap on one of the exercises to see a video demonstrating the exercise, complete with voiced step-by-step instructions. Even if you aren't an athlete, you can still benefit from this app. It's got sections filled with exercises and stretches for those of us who do lighter activities, such as gardening, sewing, computer work and even watching TV. But the thing I love most about this app is that it gives you a rationale for each exercise or stretch that it tells you you should do. I've been to a few physical therapists, and the good ones always take the time to explain why an exercise is going to benefit you, not just that it will "help fix your knee." This app tells you the why and the how. I highly recommend Motion Doctor for physical therapists and anyone who wishes to maintain injury-free activities no matter what their sport or occupation.
Video: Taizo the robot teaches grandpa how to stretch, so you don't have to
You know, maybe we were wrong-headed to keep harping on this 'evil robot' meme. Sure, there are some no-goodniks in the robot community (as opposed to the robotics community, which we assure you is full of hard-working, well-meaning people) but look at all the good robots have done for us: they build our cars, serve us hot drinks, teach our young children, and now they help our oldsters with the physical therapy. Taizo, pictured here, is a delightful chap with a bulbous visage and a fun, plushy space suit who stands just over 24-inches tall and weighs 15.5 pounds. Operating for about two hours on a single charge, the robot is designed to lead low-impact group exercise (mostly while sitting down) and features voice recognition and a library of thirty different exercises. With 26 joints in its body, it's a flexible fellow, for sure. We just hope that no one weaponizes the thing. Video after the break. [Via Engadget German]
Wii + rehab = Wiihab, the cycle is now complete
It's not the first we've heard of the Wii being used for rehabilitation context, but it would appear "Wiihab" is becoming increasingly frequent. According to the AP, hospitals in states like Missouri, Illinois, and North Carolina, and even Walter Reed Army Medical Center are all incorporating the Wii into physical therapy routines. Just in time, too, it would be really weird if Wiiitis or a nasty Wiinjury landed you in the hospital in the first place, your doctor used a Wii to hone his steady hand, and you didn't actually get to use a Wii to get your ass well enough to be discharged. Ah, what a world.
