Once again, research designed for one purpose (games) being used in another (healthcare). When I wrote about Cruiser and PhoTable (Nov 23 2009) I had a personal interest in my friend’s research, but this time I just saw a newspaper article London doctors use Wii-style technology to relieve chronic back pain, Scottish Healthcare, and got excited. I just thought what they did was amazing and the recipient was pretty happy too after 10 years of constant pain to get some relief.
There is a long history for research cross-application such as the space/defence research led to transistors and the chip set – and that the desire to get men on Mars to telemedicine realities – but it’s important to be reminded of the ongoing benefits we receive from pure research and research focused in one area and how it gets adapted. Especially when we see so much research (money) being invested in games and entertainment.
The article above is about the application of advanced motion-sensing technology, a lá the Wii and i-Phone games to neuron-sensing stimulators or spinal cord stimulators – SCS. While SCS devices are not new (electrotherapy of pain was proposed way back in 1965) they have not been perfect, and with this device they can now automatically adjust the level of pain relief being administered depending on the patient’s position.
I must admit that when I played tenpin bowling or golf with the Wii handset, I never thought of what was behind it – or indeed how it worked. However, I did try and stand like I was holding a golf club and I even ‘followed-through’. I won the game and lost a few balls into the drink on the way but we do take so much for granted.
Has anyone ‘played’ with haptic devices? The first time I tried one was on a display at CSIRO in Canberra about 5 years ago and it was an amazing sensation. Especially if you looked away from the specialised viewing glasses and looked at what your hand was actually doing – just moving around in the air holding nothing – but the sensory feedback was there – and I was rotating an imaginary ball. I have always associated haptic research to the ‘glove’ and remote surgery applications (ie supporting the men on Mars aspirations) but it’s not only being applied in simulators such as teleoperators (remote controlled robotic tools) for underwater exploration or for medical training but also for computer games with recent research into virtual reality systems. Brings Avitar to life (maybe)?
The idea of ‘Innovation for innovation’s sake’ may not be totally in vain because one person’s innovation may be someone else’s salvation. What is your favourite example of cross-invention?
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