Great Innovations

ArmAware

Innovators: Cynthia Salorio

Developed At: Johns Hopkins University

Background

What is this project about?

Hemiparesis is impaired motor functioning, contralateral to the affected hemisphere of the brain, caused by acquired injuries to the brain (ex. stroke) or may exist at birth, such as in individuals with cerebral palsy. The Project team has developed an innovative device for monitoring and treating individuals with hemiparesis/hemiplegia (motor weakness on one side), hemispatial neglect (inattention to one side of space), and/or anosagnosia for hemiplegia (lack of awareness).

Current Status & Goal

In collaboration with the engineering Firm MPR Associates, we have developed 20 research versions of this programmable device that include an accelerometer for measuring movement, a stimulator for providing vibration at particular intervals, durations, intensities and/or patterns, and a computer software interface for transferring and receiving data. We now want to further develop and study this device. The ultimate goal is for this device to be an adjunctive treatment. This device will provide regular cues to the user to attend to the affected arm and area of space, thus counteracting potential effects of neglect, unawareness, and learned non-use on recovery (or development) of functional motor skills. Sensory stimulation could help encourage the process of cortical reorganization and strengthen the connection between awareness and motor control of the limb. An accelerometer allows for collection of data and thus the band can serve as a tool to measure arm use and therapy outcomes and to investigate the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions.

This unique device:

is a simple, reusable, non-invasive apparatus;
is applicable across all age groups;
does not require constant parent, caregiver or therapist monitoring;
provides intermittent vibration stimulation to remind the user to move the affected side;
is miniaturized, programmable and rechargeable;
enables data collection to monitor the patient’s response to the therapy; and
can be used to treat hemiplegia and hemispatial neglect in children and adults suffering from a variety of neurological conditions including acquired brain injury (e.g. TBI, stroke, brain tumors, brain surgery, encephalitis), and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Cerebral Palsy.

How does my contribution help?

With funding from the Innovocracy program, we will test our ArmAware prototypes in both adults and children, with and without hemiparesis, in order to further develop the device for real-time monitoring and parameter adjustment. Funding is needed to provide gift cards to the volunteer subjects, and to allow MPR associates to begin to explore the data collected and create software algorithms for analysis and interpretation of the data to be used “real-time” in the final device to be developed. This is a crucial step in bringing the device to the market for wide spread use.

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