Smartphone Facial Recognition for Unsupervised Cervical ROM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing musculoskeletal treatment devices face challenges in ensuring patient compliance with prescribed treatment regimens, and there is a need for unsupervised measurement of cervical range of motion post-surgery.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a tissue engineering device with networking capabilities, sensors, and a user equipment (UE) that monitors treatment compliance and cervical range of motion, transmitting data to a remote server for generating compliance reports, and utilizing facial recognition on UE for cervical rotation measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tissue engineering device is provided with networking capabilities and sensors to monitor compliance, then patient compliance with treatment regimens is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mobile device (smartphone or tablet) that acts as a mediator between the tissue engineering device and the remote server. The mobile device handles complex networking communications, data processing, and user interaction, while the tissue engineering device itself remains relatively simple with just the necessary sensors and basic processing capabilities. This intermediary approach allows compliance monitoring functionality to be added without significantly complicating the core tissue engineering device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where the mobile device automatically collects usage data from the tissue engineering device, automatically transmits it to the remote server, and automatically generates compliance reports. The tissue engineering device automatically monitors its own usage through integrated sensors and automatically communicates with the mobile device. This automation reduces the need for manual intervention and simplifies the overall system operation while maintaining high compliance monitoring capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If remote monitoring capabilities are added to the tissue engineering device, then patient convenience is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic action by transmitting data in batches rather than continuously. The mobile device collects usage data from the tissue engineering device over time and transmits it to the remote server in periodic batches when connected to a network. The tissue engineering device monitors usage continuously but only communicates when prompted by the mobile device or when specific transmission conditions are met. This periodic communication approach maintains patient convenience for remote monitoring while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages the mobile device as a disposable or readily replaceable component in terms of energy consumption. The mobile device, which the patient already possesses and that has its own power source, handles the energy-intensive tasks of network communication and data processing. The tissue engineering device itself consumes minimal energy, only enough for basic sensing and local data storage. This approach allows remote monitoring functionality to be added without significantly impacting the energy budget of the medical device.
3Measurement precision
If facial recognition technology is implemented on UE for cervical rotation measurements, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universal capabilities of modern mobile devices, which already include cameras, processors, and operating systems capable of running complex applications. The facial recognition and cervical rotation measurement functionality is implemented as a software application on the mobile device, utilizing its existing multi-functional hardware resources. This approach achieves high measurement precision for cervical range of motion without adding physical complexity to a dedicated measurement device, as the mobile device's general-purpose components are used for this specific medical measurement task.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances patient compliance with treatment regimens and provides accurate, unsupervised cervical range of motion measurements, improving clinical success rates and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
an application on the UE uses a camera integrated with the UE to measure range of motion of a user of the UE
Implementation Method 2
The captured video may be processed by the application, including calculating three dimensional coordinates of the object from two dimensional coordinates of an image of the object
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for performing range of motion measurements in an unsupervised manner. A user equipment with one or more cameras may be used with an application on the UE using the one or more cameras to measure range of motion of a user of the UE. The patient may record movement of the part of the body of interest, such as the head. The movement may be recorded in three dimensions (e.g., calculated from two dimensional coordinates of an image) and processed by the application, and the three rotational angles calculated corresponding to the difference between the final position of the head and the initial position of the head at the beginning of the recording. As a result, facial recognition is used to improve monitoring of range of motion during surgical recovery in an unsupervised environment.