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Information.Archive from the Spring 2001 semester.
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The vestibular system, which controls all vestibulo-ocular reflexes, is responsible for regulating and stabilizing gaze, posture, and movements. The auditory and vestibular systems are intimately connected in the inner ear. The main components of the vestibular system include the semicircular canals, which detect angular acceleration, and the utricle and saccule, which detect linear acceleration. When the vestibular system is diseased, one experiences oscillopsia, illusionary movements of objects, which results in the loss of ability to maintain static balance. Bilateral vestibular disfunction, the loss of vestibular system function in both ears, can be caused by multiple conditions including physical trauma, drug toxicity, meningitis, and other infections. While this condition affects a small percentage of the total population, the impact of the disease on their lives is enormous. This constitutes the need for a device to provide information regarding postural stability to improve the overall quality of patient's lives. Previous studies have demonstrated that tactile display can be used to present information from another sense, ie., long tip walking cane for the blind. The next step is to make the technical developments to prove that a sensory vestibular system can provide information to persons with bilateral vestibular loss that will compensate for the lost vestibular function and thus improve postural stability and gait.
What does it feel like to have a vestibular disorder? Click here to find out.
Problem Statement - Our Goal
Individuals who have a disturbed vestibular system suffer from a decreased ability to maintain balance. A device is needed to detect sway and deliver tactile feedback to the individual. The prototype will test the viability of the subject's ability to respond the given stimulus. All elements of the device must be contained within the oral cavity of the patient and attached to the roof of the mouth. The feedback should be in the form of small electrical stimulation on the tongue which will tell the patient which direction they are moving.
Team Members
Ryan Kobs (Team Leader), Jason Berta (Webpage Design), Nikhil Bagadia (Student Assessment Committee), Tara Mahan (Communications Specialist), Kristin Myers (Production)
Informational Links about Vestibular Disorders
Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA)
Mayo Clinic Vestibular Rehabilitation Program
We have tested postural sway by means of accelerometers mounted on both the head and chest of an individual. This has allowed us to characterize the frequencies of motion associated with postural sway. Eventually, any "noise" caused by extraneous body movements (e.g. head movement from talking) will not be relayed back to the patient, only information regarding their sway pattern.
We used an ADXL202 accelerometer coupled to an evaluation board to measure the sway. This system, complete with software, is manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc.
Above: The ADXL202E accelerometer made by Analog Devices, Inc. is small compared to a penny.
Click here to view the product data sheet for the ADXL202 Evaluation Board with RS-232 Interface and Datalogging
Below are some images from experimental testing. The test
subject were Ryan Kobs and
Jason Berta.
Above Left: The ADXL202EB RS-232 evaluation board mounted on a surface sufficient to measure chest acceleration. Above right: The evaluation board securely mounted on the subject's head.
Below Left: Ryan analyzes the acceleration data using sophisticated software. Below Right: The sophisticated software output.
View our current Project Design Specification
Progress Report Archive Week of:
January 26th - January 31st | February 1st - February 7th | February 8th - February 14th | February 15th - February 21st | February 22nd - February 28th | March 1st - March 7th | March 8th - March 21st | March 22nd - March 28th | March 29th - April 4th | April 5th - April 11th | April 12th - April 18th | April 19th - April 25th
Current Results
The frequency of the acceleration due to postural sway has been verified to be approximately 0.5 Hz.
In addition to the acceleration of postural sway, there is significant acceleration of the head due to extraneous motion.
Click here to view the project timeline.
Midsemester Report - Microsoft Word Document - March 2nd, 2001
Midsemester Presentation - Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation - March 2nd, 2001
Final Report - Microsoft Word Document - May 4th, 2001
Final Presentation - Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation - May 4th, 2001
Please send any questions, comments, or anonymous love messages
to Jason Berta .
Thank you.
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