The entire system was developed by a team of specialists from the Department of Medical Rehabilitation at the University of Szeged Medical School and the Department of Microelectronics and Information Technology at the University of Szeged Technical University. A patent application has already been filed. GyroNeck is a small, lightweight device that is placed on the patient's head so that it sits perfectly on the top of the head. It is connected to a computer that reads information about the position and movement of the head relative to the screen in real time. The collected data is analysed, and after the examination is complete, special software suggests a probable diagnosis related to cervical spine disorders," explained Robert Ritter, one of the device's developers from the Department of Microelectronics and Information Technology at the Technical University of ÅAccording to him, thanks to the automation of the examinations and the recording of the entire examination process for each individual patient, it is possible to increase the number of patients examined per day and simplify the rehabilitation process. The entire system consists of a measuring device that is attached to the patient's head in a special holder resembling headphones, software for receiving and processing the data, and a 120 x 80 cm screen. The screen displays test charts prepared by a team of doctors from the Department of Medical Rehabilitation at the Medical University of Szeged.The patient is asked to imitate the pattern displayed on the screen. The computer records every head movement and then compares it with the knowledge database contained in the programme. The patient's task is to imitate the pattern displayed on the screen. "The computer records every head movement and then compares it with the knowledge database contained in the programme to indicate the percentage probability of the occurrence of the individual cervical spine disorders examined," added Ritter. Work on the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June/beginning of July this year. The research team is currently collecting measurement data for the knowledge database system and developing an expert algorithm. "It is a system for making decisions about the patient's state of health. Based on the historical data presented to it, it will be able to determine the type and extent of damage to the cervical spine of the patient currently being examined. Our team is currently in the phase of examining patients and describing the measurement results in a way that is understandable to the computer," explained the co-developer of the system. Once the work is complete, GyroNeck will be offered for sale or licensed as a technology. Author: PAP – Science in Poland 10 February 2015
