Open-Source Microsoft Kinect Physical Therapy

"It works, it's not expensive, and we've seen great results from it." - Dr. Glen House, describing NeuMimic's test trials with stroke patients

Seven Air Force cadets have begun collaborating with Dr. Glen House of Colorado's Penrose St. Francis Health Services on a physical therapy system called "NeuMimic." The software for the program runs on a computer and a Microsoft Kinect gaming camera attached. The camera allows the software to track the trainers movements, which the patient must then follow. These movements are represented by colorful stick figures that are first recorded by a trainer, then followed by the patient; the program tracks the patient's ability to accurately follow these movements, and then send the scores back to the trainer. NeuMimic allows for adjustments to difficulty, and sends the patient's progress reports back to the trainer/physician with information about the highest difficulties that patient could achieve. This creates a new metric for tracking rehabilitative progress. Most important of all, it allows for continued physical therapy training and benefits even when the instructor is not in the room, which increases the overall access to care that patients have to physical therapy training and gives the patient more autonomy in their care.

The Microsoft Kinect, seen here taken apart, has been used for many purposes beyond gaming, including robotics, for its ability to track body movements and positioning. Photo via Hacked Gadgets.

NeuMimic helps cut down on costs because it allows for physical therapists and trainers to work with more patients at a time and provide differentiated feedback without being in the room every time a patient wants to practice his or her therapy. Microsoft Kinect's camera is very low cost, and the program is available for free online. The project is now being considered as a remote physical therapy solution for stroke victims, as it has already demonstrated successful rehabilitative potential with stroke patients. The software is available online and can be downloaded and used with a Kinect device for free on any Windows computer: here is the link to the project homepage. Computer science developers have also been invited to collaborate with the cadets on the project, and can download the SDK kit from the NeuMimic website to improve the technology.

Organs on Chips

Harvard University's Wyss Institute is collaborating with the US Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center to further develop "organ on a chip" technology. These chips are small collections of human organ cells that can mimic the function of human organs; for example, the human lung cells can actually be kept alive with a blood flow, and are able to expand and contract with the help of two vacuum tunnels, further simulating the function of the human lung. Organs-on-chips can potentially be used to test prototypic treatments in a more effective manner than animal testing. 

The human Lung-on-a-chip (top) and Gut-on-a-chip (bottom). Researchers at the Wyss Institute hope to create ten different types of organ chips that will all interact with one another in a way that mimics the human body. Photo via Wyss Institute.

The organ-on-a-chip is see-through, which allows researchers clearer visibility of the interactions between chemicals and cell structures. The organs can experience a wide range of responses seen in the human body, such as inflammation and infection. At the top of the list of potential research benefits, organs-on-chips give researchers the opportunity to examine cellular interactions with harmful chemicals without harming animal test subjects. This offers the hope of developing treatments for soldiers and civilians exposed to chemical warfare in war zones. It is also a "paradigm-shifting" technology as far as the pharmaceutical world is concerned. These companies may one day find themselves partially, if not entirely, rid of the costly process of preclinical and clinical research thanks to organ-on-a-chip technology. Cosmetics companies may never have to use animal subjects for testing again.

A diagram explaining the way the Lung-on-a-chip mimics a real lung's breathing motions. The vacuums on the side chambers expand and contract, causing the tissue to stretch as human lung tissues would. Image via Nature.

As stated by the Wyss Institute, organs-on-chips can be utilized in many different markets, including chemical and nanotechnology industries, cosmetics research, animal health research, EPA and FDA regulatory and toxicity testing, and stem cell and regenerative companies. What has the defense and military industries excited is the opportunity to develop rapid testing of chemical, biological, and radiation countermeasures. The human body is far more complex than just ten chips can define, but the implementation and further development of this technology could one day revolutionize animal testing, clinical trials, and our understanding of the human body.