Black technology that allows patients with ALS and Parkinson’s disease to live a normal life

ALS, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease have always been three major problems that trouble neurologists. And coincidentally, these three diseases all belong to the same category, which can be collectively referred to as neurodegenerative diseases. Not only are these diseases incurable, but they tend to get worse over time.

Although modern medicine cannot cure these "neuroses", with the advancement of science and technology, people have found some effective methods to control such diseases. Next, the author will introduce 13 black technologies to readers to see how they can help patients with ALS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy live a normal life.

ALS

ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a progressive weakness and atrophy of muscles in the limbs, trunk and other parts due to damage to motor neurons. disease. The disease continually attacks nerve cells in a person's brain and spinal cord, eventually killing ALS patients.

ALS is a devastating disease that gradually takes away a patient’s ability to live. Early in the disease, as motor neurons die, patients begin to lose control of muscle movement. In later stages, voluntary muscle activity is severely affected and the patient may become completely paralyzed. Currently, although there is no technology that can treat motor neurons and allow people with ALS to live like normal people, there are still some assistive technologies that can help them regain some of their living abilities.

Prose smart headband: Let people with ALS speak

A sensory communication tool launched by Smartstones, an American startup company dedicated to sensory communication, including An EEG headband and accompanying mobile app: prose. This device allows the wearer (deaf/aphasic) to regain about 40% of their communication ability. They can send text messages or in-app push messages just by thinking about it.

The built-in brainwave module of the EEG headband is responsible for real-time monitoring of the wearer's emotions and reactions, and then transmits the data to the supporting: prose mobile APP via Bluetooth. The APP will give a relatively reasonable phrase based on the user's current brainwave response. And the wearer can also determine the correctness of the phrase through simple gesture control. In addition, during the process of use, this set of tools will be continuously debugged and corrected. Over time, a user's own "communication library" will be established to make communication smoother.

Eyegaze Edge eye tracking system: Communicate with the world with eyes

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LC Technologies, a company located in Virginia, USA, developed Eyegaze Edge, a communication and control system operated by eyes, allows patients to communicate and interact with the world with just one look. By looking at the control keys or units displayed on the screen, patients can use their eyes to type messages or select preprogrammed phrases to produce speech. The response time for each visual activation "key press" is generally 0.5 seconds, but users can adjust it according to their own needs.

Its working principle is: the camera installed under the Eyegaze Edge screen will observe the patient’s eyes in real time and capture the movements of their eyes (the patient does not need to wear any equipment on the body or head). The complex image processing software in the system analyzes the images captured by the camera at a speed of 60 times per second to analyze where the patient's gaze falls on the screen and then types in the information.

In addition, in addition to the alphabetical keyboard, users can also customize any picture or text keyboard, and provide functions such as Kindle, Facebook, surfing the Internet, and watching TV. In other words, with just a look, even people with ALS can easily read novels, watch TV or browse social networking sites.

Eye-controlled wheelchair: Relying on eyes to control wheelchair movement

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Although Eyegaze Edge is already very powerful, it is still a The software system can only be used to control computers or smart devices and cannot help people with ALS complete any actions. To this end, Joyce, a British ALS patient, partnered with filmmaker David Hopkinson to design a 3D printed eye-controlled wheelchair Eyedrivomatic. This wheelchair effectively combines Eyegaze Edge's eye tracking technology, allowing people with handicapped limbs to control the movement of the wheelchair with their eyes. The eye-controlled wheelchair designed by Joyce won the annual award in the 2015 Hackaday Innovation and Invention Competition.

EKSO brain-controlled mechanical exoskeleton: People with ALS can also stand up and walk

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The wheelchair mentioned earlier can Let people with ALS move, but not let them actually stand up and walk. Researchers from South Korea and Germany have designed a brain-controlled mechanical exoskeleton device called EKSO, which can allow people with lower limb paralysis to regain mobility.

This device consists of a mechanical exoskeleton around the hips and legs, and a headgear full of electronic components. Through the headgear, the system will identify the user's brainwave signals through the scalp, and then decode them into specific actions to control the mechanical exoskeleton. In other words, through this combination of brain and robot (i.e., brain-computer interface system), ALS patients can stand up again using the mechanical exoskeleton by using the mechanical exoskeleton to issue movement instructions from the brain like normal people.

However, this device can currently only help patients with paralysis of the lower body. For those with ALS who have progressed to full-body paralysis, it may be difficult to rely on it to move. However, we have reason to believe that with the development of science and technology, this set of equipment will realize the function of whole-body control sooner or later.

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common degenerative disease of the nervous system, which mostly occurs in the elderly around 60 years old. The typical symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, muscle stiffness, unsteady walking, etc. Currently, there is no drug that can effectively prevent the disease from progressing. The most important thing to solve the daily life of Parkinson's patients is anti-shake.

DBS brain pacemaker: One-click remote elimination of tremors

Brain pacemaker, also known as deep electrical stimulation (DBS), is a Electrodes are implanted into specific nerve nuclei to release high-frequency electrical stimulation to suppress abnormal brain nerve signals that cause symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and treat or reduce symptoms of Parkinson's disease such as tremor, stiffness, and bradykinesia.

Cerebral pacemakers can restore Parkinson's patients' original mobility and self-care abilities, with an improvement rate of more than 80%, and their safety and effectiveness have been recognized at home and abroad. Moreover, through the Internet or wireless remote control technology, the patient does not need to go to the hospital in person after the operation. The doctor can adjust the stimulation parameters through the programmable controller. As long as you press the "remote control" remotely, you can eliminate the patient's limb tremors with one click and restore the patient's ability to live independently.

However, it is worth mentioning that the timing of implanting a brain pacemaker is important. Generally, implantation is best after the patient develops movement disorders. If there is a fall or cognitive impairment, the opportunity for treatment will be lost.

Liftware anti-shake rice spoon: allows Parkinson’s patients to eat safely

Parkinson’s patients have unintentional shaking of their hands, so eating becomes a chore. Big problem. The anti-shake rice spoon Liftware Level launched by Verily, a subsidiary of Google, can effectively prevent shaking and allow Parkinson's patients to eat "stablely".

Level has built-in advanced motion sensors, on-board computers and motors. By detecting the arc and direction of the user's hand shaking, it drives the motor to adjust the angle of the spoon in time, so that the spoon is always stable in a horizontal state.

Therefore, no matter how severe the vibration is, Level can maintain balance immediately to ensure that food does not spill. It is reported that Level’s electronic stabilization technology can reduce food spillage caused by hand shaking by 70%.

Intelligent shoes: Normal walking is not a dream for Parkinson’s patients

The Parkinson’s shoes developed by researchers at the University of Delaware are shoes with vibrating insoles. Its vibration frequency is controlled by a microcomputer. By controlling vibration, it can neutralize the involuntary shaking of the patient's body, help patients with Parkinson's disease reduce difficulty in walking, reduce stiffness at the start, maintain body balance during walking, increase walking speed, and improve abnormal gait.