Smartphone App for Functional Tremor Retraining via Biofeedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for functional movement disorders, such as functional tremor, are resource-intensive and inaccessible to many patients, particularly pediatric patients, due to limited availability of trained therapists and intensive rehabilitation centers.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device-based smartphone application for tremor retraining, which provides accessible and tailored treatment regimes by using biofeedback strategies to help patients recognize how redirecting attention can suppress or change tremor symptoms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intensive rehabilitation with physiotherapy is provided, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but resource consumption increases and accessibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the intensive rehabilitation program that can be accessed remotely. The smartphone application replicates the core therapeutic exercises and biofeedback mechanisms, allowing patients to receive treatment-quality instruction at home without needing physical presence in a rehabilitation center.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical in-person rehabilitation system with a digital electronic system. The smartphone application uses sensors, processors, and display devices to deliver the rehabilitation program, substituting the need for physical therapist presence and in-center equipment with automated digital interfaces.
2Reliability
If inpatient rehabilitation centers are used, then comprehensive treatment is provided, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential treatment components from the complex inpatient rehabilitation center environment. It isolates the core therapeutic elements—biofeedback exercises, real-time monitoring, and guided retraining—and packages them into a standalone mobile application that functions independently of institutional infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the comprehensive rehabilitation program into discrete, modular exercise sessions that can be individually accessed and completed. Each session is broken down into specific tasks with clear instructions, allowing patients to progress through treatment in manageable segments rather than requiring continuous incenter stay.
3Reliability
If trained therapists are required for treatment, then treatment quality is improved, but availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables patients to perform rehabilitation exercises independently through the smartphone application. The app provides automated guidance, real-time feedback, and progress tracking, allowing patients to self-manage their treatment without requiring constant therapist supervision or intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automated feedback mechanisms within the application that monitor patient performance and provide real-time guidance. The system uses sensors to detect movement, compares it against therapeutic goals, and adjusts instructions accordingly, replacing the need for continuous therapist evaluation with automated computational feedback.
Data Source
AI summary
Various technological aspects of functional tremor retrainment are described. For example, a mobile device may measure a baseline tremor frequency, determine a cue frequency based on the baseline tremor frequency, provide motion cues at the cue frequency, measure a motion frequency while providing the motion cues, and provide a feedback signal indicative of a synchrony of the motion frequency to the cue frequency.