Virtual Limb Visual Feedback System for Phantom Pain Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for phantom limb pain lack accessibility, affordability, and interactivity, and existing visual feedback systems rely on the normal limb to provide feedback to the brain, which may not be sufficient for all patients.
Innovation Solution
A visual feedback system using a game console, digital processing unit, sensors, and a display unit to generate and display images of the missing limb, allowing patients to simulate activities and receive visual feedback directly related to the missing limb, making the system accessible, affordable, and interactive.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional mirror box therapy or virtual reality therapy is used to provide visual feedback for phantom limb pain, then pain relief is achieved, but accessibility and affordability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the patient's missing limb using 3D scanning and computer-generated imagery. This virtual limb is then displayed on a standard television screen, allowing the patient to see and interact with a digital representation of their absent limb. This copying approach replicates the therapeutic effect of expensive specialized equipment using affordable consumer electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a standard game console and television, which are universal consumer electronics already present in most households. This multi-functional approach allows the same device to serve both entertainment purposes and medical therapy, eliminating the need for specialized expensive equipment and making the treatment accessible to a broader population.
2Reliability
If traditional visual feedback systems use the normal limb to simulate the missing limb, then visual feedback is provided, but patient engagement and interactivity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates motion sensors that detect the patient's actual movements and provide real-time visual feedback showing the virtual limb performing the same actions. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the patient to see direct correspondence between their physical movements and the virtual limb's movements, enhancing engagement and therapeutic effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual limb is not a static image but a dynamic representation that moves in real-time based on the patient's actual movements. The system continuously updates the virtual limb's position and orientation to match the patient's movements, creating an interactive and engaging experience rather than a passive visual display.
3Reliability
If specialized virtual reality equipment is used to treat phantom limb pain, then therapeutic effect is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces expensive, complex specialized virtual reality equipment with affordable, readily available consumer electronics such as game consoles and televisions. This substitution maintains the core therapeutic function while dramatically reducing cost and complexity, making the treatment accessible to a much broader population.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computer-generated virtual limb as an intermediary between the patient's normal limb and their perception. This virtual representation serves as a mediator that bridges the gap caused by amputation, allowing the brain to receive appropriate visual feedback without requiring complex specialized equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
Visual feedback systems and methods implementing the system are disclosed that use computer generated images of lost limbs to display visual images of the limb being used in activities on a display unit providing visual feedback of the use of the missing limb to the brain to ameliorate, reduce, treat or eliminate phantom limb pain.