Brandon Keim
Science

Better Balance Through Virtual Reality

To move their bodies, people usually rely on a steady stream of neuromuscular feedback. (If this seems abstract, think how hard it is to walk when your leg has fallen asleep.) People with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis lack that feedback, and thus have an even harder time walking and keeping their balance. Israeli computer […]

Walking
To move their bodies, people usually rely on a steady stream of neuromuscular feedback. (If this seems abstract, think how hard it is to walk when your leg has fallen asleep.) People with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis lack that feedback, and thus have an even harder time walking and keeping their balance.

Israeli computer scientist Yoram Baram's solution: an augmented reality system that substitutes visual and auditory feedback for the muscular.

... The device combines a wearable, cell phone-sized audio component - which measures body movement, processes it and sends feedback to the user through earphones - with a visual feedback apparatus he developed for Parkinson's patients 10 years ago.

The visual component presents users with a virtual, tiled-floor image displayed on one eye via a tiny piece that clips onto glasses worn by the user. This allows the user to distinguish between the virtual floor and real obstacles, making it possible to navigate even rough terrain or stairs.

Video clips here.

Virtual reality device helps multiple sclerosis patients walk [press release]