Proprioception Measurement System Using Visual Masking and Position Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clinical tests for proprioception are subjective, poorly standardized, and unable to distinguish between sensitivity and bias, making it difficult to accurately assess and tailor rehabilitation for proprioceptive deficits, especially in conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.
Innovation Solution
A system and method involving a hand layer with vertically offset portions for proper hand placement, a top cover to obscure the patient's view, and pressure sensors integrated with an angled stand to measure proprioception objectively, using an adaptive staircase method to determine proprioceptive sensitivity and bias.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional clinical tests (PMDD, matching tests) are used to measure proprioception, then the tests can be performed with simple equipment and procedures, but the measurement precision and objectivity are poor due to subjectivity and lack of standardization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective mechanical assessment methods with an optical measurement system using a tablet computer and camera to capture hand position images. This substitution eliminates rater subjectivity and provides objective, quantifiable measurements of proprioception while maintaining relative simplicity through the use of common digital devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the patient's hand position through camera imaging and displays it on a tablet screen. This copy allows for precise digital measurement and analysis of hand position without requiring direct physical contact or subjective assessment by the clinician, thereby improving measurement precision.
2Loss of information
If conventional clinical tests are used, then the testing procedure remains simple and quick, but the ability to distinguish between sensitivity and bias in proprioception is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the proprioception measurement into distinct components: sensitivity (threshold detection) and bias (systematic error). The computational algorithm processes the visual analog scale measurements to separately calculate these parameters, allowing clinicians to identify specific deficit types while maintaining efficient testing through a single integrated protocol.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements computational feedback that automatically processes patient responses and provides quantitative measures of both sensitivity and bias. This feedback mechanism enables the system to distinguish between different types of proprioceptive deficits without requiring separate testing procedures, thereby preserving testing efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If active or passive movement is required during testing, then movement sense can be assessed, but the test becomes confounded for patients with pain, spasticity, or motor deficits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the movement component from the proprioception testing protocol, allowing assessment of static position sense without requiring active or passive movement. This extraction enables patients with pain, spasticity, or motor deficits to complete the test without confounding factors while maintaining measurement precision through objective image-based position assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
Stands for measuring proprioception comprising a hand layer comprising one or more vertically offset portions configured to ensure proper placement of a patient's hand in a predetermined position, a top cover coupled to the hand layer, wherein the top cover is designed to obscure the patient's view of the patient's hand, and a support element coupled to the hand layer and configured to support the hand layer at a predetermined angle are disclosed. Methods for measuring proprioception are also disclosed.