Vestibular Testing Device Using Motor-Driven Head Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing vestibular function, such as the caloric test and rotary chair test, are cumbersome, expensive, and require skilled operators, while providing limited information about the entire vestibular system and often causing discomfort to patients.
Innovation Solution
A vestibular and oculomotor function testing device with a track supported by bearings and an engine that conveys controlled movements to a subject's head, combined with oculographic devices to record eye movements, allowing for comprehensive assessment of vestibular and oculomotor functions, including angular and linear VOR, saccades, and gaze stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If caloric test is used to assess vestibular function, then horizontal semicircular canal function can be evaluated, but the test is uncomfortable for patients and provides limited information about other inner ear sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of head movement stimulation from low-frequency thermal convection (caloric test) to high-acceleration, high-frequency transient rotations, enabling comprehensive assessment of all semicircular canals and otolithic endorgans while avoiding patient discomfort associated with temperature changes
2Speed
If rotary chair test is used to assess vestibular function, then higher frequency head movements can be tested, but the apparatus is expensive, large, and requires high torque motors
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of head rotation stimulation from the complex rotary chair system, implementing it through a simplified apparatus that generates transient head-on-body rotations using a motor coupled to a head restraint system, eliminating the need for large rotating chairs and high-torque motors
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical rotary chair system with an alternative mechanical approach using a motor-driven head restraint system that directly imparts transient rotations to the patient's head, achieving the same vestibular stimulation with reduced complexity and cost
3Force
If manual head thrusts are used to test VOR performance, then high acceleration head movements can be generated, but the method is highly variable from trial to trial
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables the system to automatically control and repeat head rotation stimuli with precise, programmable parameters, eliminating the variability introduced by manual examiner technique while maintaining high acceleration levels necessary for VOR assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates sensors to measure actual head movement parameters and uses this feedback to ensure consistent, reproducible stimulation across multiple trials, allowing for reliable comparison of vestibular function over time
4Measurement precision
If current vestibular testing methods are used, then some vestibular function can be assessed, but skilled operators are required and the tests are time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a multi-functional testing system that can assess all semicircular canals and otolithic endorgans through a single apparatus using programmable head rotation protocols, eliminating the need for multiple specialized tests and highly skilled operators for each specific test type
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to systems and methods for testing vestibular and oculomotor function. One aspect of the invention provides a vestibular and oculomotor function testing device including a track supported by a plurality of bearings, an engine configured to selectively displace the track, and a head coupling component coupled to the track. The head coupling component is configured to convey a movement generated by the engine to a subject's head in one or more axes.