Smart eye system for Visuomotor dysfunction diagnosis and its operant conditioning

• US 20170296048A1
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indian Institute Of Technology Gandhinagar
• Original Assignee: Indian Institute Of Technology Gandhinagar
• Inventors: LAHIRI, Uttama, DUTTA, Anirban, DAS, Abhijit
• Granted Patent: US 10,973,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1103 Detecting eye twinkling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/38 Acoustic or auditory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/10 Eye inspection

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system that uses an eye tracker for diagnosing and facilitating rehabilitation therapy of a patient suffering from disability. The system creates a human machine interface (HMI) that integrates various low cost biosensors and artificial sensors for conducting rehabilitation therapy. The system combines spinal and supra-spinal feedback of the patient with the operant conditioning to facilitate visuomotor balance therapy (VBT), thereby reducing fall risk in disability survivors. The operant conditioning setup for shaping of visuomotor learning to bring about new behavior or to modify a certain aspect of an existing behavior is used for rehabilitation therapy that includes a behaviour response apparatus, a reward delivery module, a stimulus delivery system, and a behaviour control system. The system can also be extended to the patient'"'"'s home for providing telerehabilitation therapy.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing visuomotor dysfunction of a subject during a visuomotor task, the method comprising the following steps:

monitoring eye parameters of the subject;

detecting a bio-signal of the subject;

sensing physical parameters of the subject, and

diagnosing a visuomotor dysfunction based on the eye parameters, the bio-signal, and the physical parameters of the subject.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eye parameters are at least one of eye movements, blinks, saccades, a fixation pattern, and a smooth pursuit behavior.

3. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 1, the system comprising:

an eye tracker for monitoring eye parameters of the subject;

a biosensor for detecting a bio-signal data of the subject; and

a physical sensor for sensing physical parameters of the subject, wherein the visuomotor dysfunction is diagnosed based on the eye parameters, the bio-signal, and the physical parameters of the subject.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the biosensor is at least one of an elctromyogram (EMG), an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrocardiography (ECG), an electrodermography (EDG), a diffuse optical imaging, and a magnetic resonance imaging device (MRI) signal.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the physical sensors are at least one of passive infrared (PIR) sensors, 3D camera, depth camera, microwave sensors, ultrasonic motion and vibration motion sensors or combinations thereof.

6. A method for closed loop stimulation of central nervous system (CNS) in conjunction with peripheral nervous system (PNS) of a subject in a treatment of visuomotor dysfunction, the method comprising the following steps:

monitoring eye parameters of the subject and generating an eye gaze data based on the eye parameters;

detecting cortical biosignal data and spinal biosignal data of the subject;

sensing physical parameters of the subject;

generating a first output signal based on the cortical biosignal data and the eye gaze data;

generating a second output signal based on the spinal biosignal data and physical parameters;

generating a plurality of stimuli based on the first and second output signals; and

stimulating the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) of the subject based on the plurality of stimuli.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the eye parameters are at least one of eye movements, blinks, saccades, a fixation pattern, and a smooth pursuit behavior.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the physical parameters are at least one of centre of pressure (CoP) and centre of mass (CoM) of the subject.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of stimuli includes at least one of audio-video stimulus, brain activation stimuli, muscle activation stimuli, and sensory activation stimuli.

10. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 6, the system comprising:

an eye tracker for monitoring eye parameters of the subject and generating an eye gaze data based on the eye parameters;

cortical and spinal biosensors for detecting cortical biosignal data and spinal biosignal data, respectively of the subject;

a physical sensor for sensing physical parameters of the subject;

a first Bayesian sensor fusion module connected to the eye tracker and the cortical biosensor for receiving the eye gaze data and the cortical biosignal data, respectively, and generating a first output signal based on the eye gaze data and the cortical biosignal data;

a second Bayesian sensor fusion module connected to the first Bayesian fusion module, spinal biosensor, and the physical sensor for receiving the first output signal, spinal biosignal data, and the physical parameters, respectively, and generating a second output signal based on the spinal biosignal data and the physical parameters;

a signal generator connected to the second Bayesian sensor fusion module for receiving the first and second output signals and generating a plurality of stimuli based on the first and second output signals; and

an electrical stimulator connected to the signal generator for receiving the plurality of stimuli and stimulating the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) based on the plurality of stimuli.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the cortical and spinal biosensors includes at least one of an electromyogram (EMG), an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrocardiography (ECG), an electrodermography (EDG), a diffuse optical imaging, and a magnetic resonance imaging device (MRI) signal.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the physical sensors are at least one of passive infrared (PIR) sensors, 3D camera, depth camera, microwave sensors, ultrasonic motion and vibration motion sensors or combinations thereof.

13. A method for operant conditioning with a subject in loop during a visuomotor task in a treatment of visuomotor dysfunction, the method comprising the following steps:

monitoring eye parameters of the subject and generating an eye gaze data based on the eye parameters;

detecting cortical biosignal data and spinal biosignal data of the subject;

sensing physical parameters of the subject;

generating a first output signal based on the cortical biosignal data and the eye gaze data;

generating a second output signal based on the spinal biosignal data and physical parameters;

generating a plurality of stimuli based on the first and second output signals;

delivering a spatiotemporally patterned stimulus coordinated with a visuomotor behavior to central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) of the subject by a way of the plurality of stimuli for shaping of visuomotor learning by a way of perceptual and attentional learning approaches; and

delivering a spatiotemporally patterned reward coordinated with the visuomotor behavior to the subject by a way of the plurality of stimuli for shaping of the visuomotor learning, thereby prodding the subject to use affected portion more than unaffected portion to perform the visuomotor task and reducing compensatory mechanisms of the unaffected portion of the subject.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the eye parameters are at least one of eye movements, blinks, saccades, a fixation pattern, and a smooth pursuit behavior.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the physical parameters are at least one of centre of pressure (CoP) and centre of mass (CoM) of the subject.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of stimuli includes at least one of audio-video stimulus, brain activation stimuli, muscle activation stimuli, and sensory activation stimuli.

17. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 13, the system comprising:

an eye tracker for monitoring eye parameters of the subject and generating an eye gaze data based on the eye parameters;

cortical and spinal biosensors for detecting cortical biosignal data and spinal biosignal data, respectively of the subject;

a physical sensor for sensing physical parameters of the subject;

a first Bayesian sensor fusion module connected to the eye tracker and the cortical biosensor for receiving the eye gaze data and the cortical biosignal data, respectively, and generating a first output signal based on the eye gaze data and the cortical biosignal data;

a second Bayesian sensor fusion module connected to the first Bayesian fusion module, spinal biosensor, and the physical sensor for receiving the first output signal, spinal biosignal data, and the physical parameters, respectively, and generating a second output signal based on the spinal biosignal data and the physical parameters;

a signal generator connected to the second Bayesian sensor fusion module for receiving the first and second output signals and generating a plurality of stimuli based on the first and second output signals;

an electrical stimulator connected to the signal generator for receiving the plurality of stimuli and stimulating central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) of the subject based on the plurality of stimuli; and

a reward delivery module for the visuomotor task, wherein the reward delivery module delivers rewards by various means including modulating the scores, varying the difficulty, and/or providing pleasant sensory events to the subject.