Interactive system and method for neuromotor functioning assessment and training

• US 8,979,754 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Functional Interactive Timing System Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Functional Interactive Timing System Ltd.
• Inventors: Sulkin, Adi, Sulkin, Esther
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US11/836,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1124 Determining motor skills
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/162 Testing reaction times
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6825 Hand
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine

Abstract

The present invention discloses an interactive system for neuromotor functioning assessment and training of a subject, using rhythmic-based techniques. The system may include an acquisition unit and an analysis unit connected by communication means. The acquisition unit may include measuring devices and may enable producing rhythmic aural and/or visual indications and measuring the subject'"'"'s performing of actions under the produced rhythms. The actions may be carried out according to predefined exercises using the measuring devices. The analysis unit may include a software application that allows receiving, storing, displaying and analyzing of acquisition data arriving from the acquisition unit. At least one of the measuring devices may be a graphic-tool such as, for example, a digital pen connected to a receiver, enabling to measure the subject'"'"'s lifting of the hand while performing graphical actions such as writing.

Claims

1. An interactive system for neuromotor functioning assessment and training of a subject, using rhythmic-based techniques, said system comprising:

at least one rhythmus indicator device, operable to produce rhythmic indication of a rhythmus;

at least one measuring device operable to measure subject'"'"'s performing of actions using said measuring device;

wherein the at least one measuring device is a graphic tool that enables sensing the subject'"'"'s hand movements when the subject uses the graphic tool for performing graphic actions selected from a group consisting of;

writing, drawing, copying of predefined shapes, and copying written text;

a processor configured as a timing unit operable to measure shifts between the rhythmus produced by a rhythmus producer and timing in which the subject has performed the actions that comprise the graphic actions;

an analysis unit comprising at least one computing device, operable to analyze acquisition data at least by comparing acquisition data pertaining to the measured shifts with stored reference associated data, wherein results of the analysis are results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning; and

a display unit, operable to display results of said analysis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one rhythmus indicator device comprises visual indicators operable to produce visual indications according to the rhythmus.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a keyboard comprising multiple keys, wherein the at least one measuring device is a plurality of measuring devices, at least one of the plurality of measuring devices is operable to measure using said measuring device subject'"'"'s performing of pressing fingers over specific keys of the keyboard according to the visual indications manifested through the visual indicators.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of measuring devices is operable to measure using said measuring device subject'"'"'s performing of pressing specific fingers over specific keys of the keyboard according to the visual indications manifested through the visual indicators.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the timing unit is operable to measure shifts between different rhythmuses produced by both aural and visual rhythmic indications and timing in which the subject has performed at least some of the actions.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising at least one acquisition box remotely coupled to the analysis unit, wherein said acquisition box comprises:

the at least one rhythmus indicator device, the at least one rhythmus indicator device comprising at least one visual indicator and a speaker operable to produce aural rhythmic indications;

at least one keypad comprising multiple keys; and

input and output portals.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a user usable tuner operable to participate in controlling, by the user of the rhythmus, the aural and visual indications.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said keypad enables measuring the subject'"'"'s pressing of each key of the multiple keys and identifying each key that has been pressed as well as measuring the timing parameters in which each distinguished key is pressed by the subject.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one measuring device is a plurality of measuring devices, at least one of the plurality of measuring devices is a stepper that is coupled to the acquisition box and which is operable to measure subject'"'"'s performing of stepping action.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the analysis unit is operable to generate:

motor diagnosis exercises results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from the stepper and a keypad of the system as source measuring devices;

didactic diagnosis exercises results pertaining to exercises that enable assessing and training of the subject'"'"'s didactic skills in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from the graphic-tool as a source measuring device; and

graphic diagnosis exercises results pertaining to exercises that enable assessing and training of the subject'"'"'s neuromotor skills consequent to the subject'"'"'s graphic skills in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from the graphic-tool as a source measuring device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the analysis unit is further operable to generate diagnosis results of an attentiveness-area (AA) diagnosis, that are results of exercises that assess a suggested high attentiveness area for the subject in a classroom.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the analysis unit is operable to calculate a grade for each type out of the motor diagnosis exercises results, the didactic diagnosis exercises results, and the graphic diagnosis exercises results;

and is further operable to provide a quantified total grade relating to several fields tested.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said stepper enables sensing a subject'"'"'s stepping along a walking path.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said stepper enables measuring the subject'"'"'s performances when the subject walks according to an aurally produced rhythmus along the walking path that is a figure-eight-shaped route.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of measuring devices is operable to measure using said measuring device subject'"'"'s performing of actions, other than walking, that are performed by the subject concurrently with walking along the walking path.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein said stepper is an optic sensor operable to sense the subject'"'"'s legs and feet movements by scanning an area.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein said stepper is a seismic sensor operable to sense the subject'"'"'s feet movements.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is operable to enable displaying of diagnostic exercises according to the subject'"'"'s details and receiving of user selection of exercises.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphic-tool includes at least one digital pen and at least one pen-receiver wherein said pen enables sensing the subject'"'"'s hand movements while using said pen and transmitting sensing signals to the receiver and wherein said receiver enables receiving said signals and transmitting the measured signals to the acquisition unit.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphic tool is an optical sensor enabling sensing the subject'"'"'s hand movements, wherein the analysis unit is operable to compare measured timing parameters of the subject'"'"'s hand lifts with the timing parameters of the rhythmus.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one measuring device is a plurality of measuring devices, at least one of the plurality of measuring devices is operable to measure subject'"'"'s reading of words;

wherein the timing unit is operable to measure shifts between the rhythmus produced by the rhythmus producer and timing of the word reading by the subject, wherein the analysis unit is operable to generate diagnosis results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning in response to timing of word reading by the subject.

22. The system of claim 1, further operable to accumulate statistical data relating to the exercises results of a multiplicity of subjects tested by a multiplicity of users, and to process this data to update reference data to which the acquisition data is compared by the analysis unit.

23. A method for interactive neuromotor functioning assessment and training of a subject using rhythmic-based techniques, the method comprising:

producing rhythmic indication of a rhythmus;

measuring subject'"'"'s performing of actions by at least one measuring device;

wherein the at least one measuring device is a graphic tool that enables sensing the subject'"'"'s hand movements when the subject uses the graphic tool for performing graphic actions selected from a group consisting of;

writing, drawing, copying of predefined shapes, and copying written text;

measuring shifts between the rhythmus and timing in which the subject has performed the actions that comprise the graphic actions;

analyzing, by an analysis unit comprising at least one processing unit, acquisition data at least by comparing acquisition data pertaining to the measured shifts with reference associated data stored by a machine, wherein results of the analyzing are results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning; and

displaying results of said analysis.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the measuring of the subject'"'"'s performing of actions comprises measuring subjects performing of graphic actions of writing the alphabet letters according to the rhythmus;

wherein the measuring of the shifts comprises measuring the timing shifts between the hand lifts of the subjects when performing the writing of the alphabet letters and the timing parameters of the rhythmus.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising generating (a) motor diagnosis exercises results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from a stepper and a keypad of the system as source measuring devices;

(b) didactic diagnosis exercises results pertaining to exercises that enable assessing and training of the subject'"'"'s didactic skills in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from the graphic-tool as a source measuring device; and

(c) graphic diagnosis exercises results pertaining to exercises that enable assessing and training of the subject'"'"'s neuromotor skills consequent to the subject'"'"'s graphic skills in response to the analysis unit'"'"'s analysis of acquisition data received from the graphic-tool as a source measuring device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the analyzing further comprises calculating a grade for each type out of the motor diagnosis exercises results, the didactic diagnosis exercises results, and the graphic diagnosis exercises results;

and providing a quantified total grade relating to several fields tested.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the measuring of shifts comprises measuring of shifts between different rhythmuses produced by both aural and visual rhythmic indications and timing in which the subject has performed at least some of the actions.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein producing comprises producing the rhythmic indication by a visual indicator operable to produce visual indications according to the rhythmus.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the measuring of the subject'"'"'s performing of actions comprises measuring of subject'"'"'s pressing fingers over specific keys of a keyboard according to the visual indications manifested through the visual indicator.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the measuring of the subject'"'"'s performing of actions comprises measuring by a stepper that is operable to measure subject'"'"'s performing of stepping action and which enables sensing subject'"'"'s stepping along a walking path.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the measuring of the subject'"'"'s performing of actions comprises devices subject'"'"'s reading of words;

wherein the measuring of the shifts comprises measuring shifts between the rhythmus and timing of the word reading by the subject, wherein the analyzing comprises generating diagnosis results relating to the subject'"'"'s neuromotor functioning in response to timing of word reading by the subject.