Yoked Prisms for Visual Midline Realignment in Gait Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals post-cerebrovascular accident (CVA) often experience visuo-spatial neglect and postural imbalances due to a mismatch between visuo-spatial and sensorimotor information, leading to distorted body orientation and weight-bearing asymmetry, which complicates rehabilitation.
Innovation Solution
The use of yoked prisms, which are prisms positioned with their base ends in the same direction to counteract the spatial distortion by realigning the concept of visual midline, is employed in conjunction with a treadmill equipped with weight-bearing pressure sensitive plates to measure and correct the shift in visual midline, thereby improving posture and balance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If yoked prisms are used to realign visual midline, then postural orientation and weight-bearing symmetry are improved, but device complexity and measurement requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective postural assessment with objective instrumented treadmill measurement systems that quantify weight-bearing distribution and center of pressure, eliminating reliance on clinician judgment and providing precise, repeatable data for prism prescription
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback through pressure-sensitive plates embedded in the treadmill, measuring lateral weight-bearing asymmetry and center of pressure deviations, which are then used to adjust and optimize prism prescription for maximal postural correction
2Measurement precision
If instrumented treadmill with pressure sensitive plates is used to measure weight-bearing asymmetry, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure-sensitive plates are embedded within the treadmill belt or deck to serve as intermediaries that indirectly measure weight-bearing forces through electrical resistance or capacitive changes, avoiding the need for complex external force sensors while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The instrumented treadmill utilizes the patient's own body weight and natural gait pattern during rehabilitation exercises to generate the measurement signals, eliminating the need for external actuators or complex positioning systems
3Reliability
If extensive physical and occupational therapy is provided to improve proprioceptive awareness, then postural balance is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides immediate, objective feedback on weight-bearing symmetry and postural alignment during therapy sessions, allowing patients to rapidly learn and correct postural deviations without requiring prolonged trial-and-error rehabilitation periods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent objectively quantifies postural parameters such as center of pressure position and weight-bearing distribution ratios, enabling precise tracking of rehabilitation progress and optimization of therapy intensity to reduce overall treatment duration
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
Yoked prisms effectively reduce the shift in visual midline and improve postural orientation, enhancing weight-bearing symmetry and reducing visuo-spatial neglect, facilitating more effective rehabilitation by realigning the internalized concepts of body position.
Implementation Method 1
A prism is shaped with an apex at the thin end and a base at the thick end of the prism. The angle of degree deviates a beam of light such that the image of an object will be shifted
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for analyzing gait and balance to determine visual spatial distortion including a treadmill having a movable tread, at least a weight bearing sensor for measuring weight bearing pressure in right, left, front and rear directions provided under said tread and an analyzer for analyzing lean coupled to output of said weight bearing sensor.