DISEASE DETECTOR- an Instrument for an Improved Quality of Life. An Application for the Analysis of MotorNeuron Diseases

2. 1) Introduction
2) Biorobotics & research
3) Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease
4) DDX system
5) Software diagram
6) Technical Architecture
7) Biorobotic electronic circuit
8) Description of the biorobotic system
9) Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages
10)Conclusion

3. Bringing Biology And Robotics Together…
• Making robots that emulate and stimulate
living biological organisms mechanically or
even chemically.
• Application of biological ideas to address
technological problems.
• Application of robotics to solve problems
regarding biology and medicine.

4. Motor Neuron iseases
• MNDs are a group of progressive neurological disorders
that destroy motor neurons, the cells that control
essential voluntary muscle activity such as
speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing.
• Some MNDs are inherited, but the causes of most MNDs
are not known.
• There is no cure or standard treatment for the MNDs.
• EX : Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Progressive muscular
atrophy (PMA), Amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis(ALS).

5. Need for an DDX
• To measure the neuro-psychomotor conditions of an
individual to detect his/her state of health, it is necessary to
obtain a set of parameters such as reaction
time, speed, strength and tremor.
• The set of parameters obtained is useful not only to
diagnose neuro-motor pathologies (e.g. Parkinson
Disease), but also to assess general everyday health or to
monitor sports performance;
• Autonomous testing is important, as the individual is likely
to be more relaxed thus obviating emotional problems.
• The DDX system has been designed with reference to the
biomechanical characteristics of the human finger.

6. • Disease Detector (DDX), portable equipment with detection
of response time and psychophysical conditions in normal
and exceptional environments.
• a simple joystick with a few buttons, an LCD display and a
simple interface for remote communication of diagnosis.

7. contd …
• The external effects require
1) the response to sounds,
2) a soft touch of a button,
3) by pronouncing a word,
4) the touch of the finger in front of a virtual reality
drawing of the finger itself.
• Fuzzy Logic is exploited in order to obtain an intelligent and
reliable detector.
• Three basic parameters (reaction, speed and force) are
acquired.

8. • Many new and innovative inventions like robotic hand ,a voice- controlled robot has
been designed.
• In 1985, bio-engineers have developed a bionic prosthesis with electronic control
incorporated in an artificial limb.
• Recently, a dummy for cardiac simulation purposes, and data acquisition systems
involving neuromotor control has been developed.
• Eccles designed the pattern for recognition of the behavior of the brain control
circuits.
• Analogue concepts developed by Searle and Richards represent fundamental steps
to recognize how much the robotic systems are helping in the simulation of brain
activity.
• Some of the scientific developments linked to biology and Biorobotics: activation of
neuron circuits, recovery of damaged neuromotor functions, etc.

9. inventions

10. • Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative
neurological movement disorder that affects approximately
10 million people world wide.
• Parkinson's disease occurs when the nerve cells in the brain
that make dopamine are slowly destroyed.
• Primary symptoms : Tremor, Rigidity, Postural Instability,
Bradykinesia.
• An estimated 7-10 million people worldwide are living with
Parkinson's disease.

11. • Causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.
• Symptom : difficulty in remembering
newly learned information.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading
cause of death in the U.S
and the 5th leading cause of death for
those aged 65 and older.

12. DDX system
• It is used for a soft touch. The person looks at the screen
and reads words of warning and of start. In the same
time, a sound, like a beep, gives the start signal.
• The person must press softly the button with index
finger, with right or left hand.
• The tremor before and during the pressure on the button is
measured by a switch which detects oscillations of the
hand.

14. contd …
• Button push
– performed by placing forefinger on button and
pushing it down slowly.
– Followed by visual-sound signal.
1) Fast protocol
2) Virtual protocol
• Vocal Articulation
1) Fast reading: foreperiod and duration to
articulate word are measured.
2) Delayed reading
• Result analysis and presentation with fuzzy
logic

15. • Parameters are acquired from the button.
• tremor sensor - measures vibrations of the wrist of
the hand.
• Processor -> Buzzer -> timer starts->sampling ->
sends another impulse to the buzzer -> variable tj > patient will press the push button -> variable
ti, variable tf -> The speed of patient motion can be
calculated from these times.
• Pressure is calculated using a simple circuit .

16. Biorobotic electronic circuit
• a digital display LCD (twelve characters in two
columns),
• 4 keys for managing a menu navigator similar to
that of a mobile phone menu,
• an OK key to confirm,
• a Menu key in order to return to the main menu,
• a Buzzer for the acoustic beep,
• a Load cell by strain gauges with its amplifier.
• By pressing the button 3 beacons are sent:
Start pressure beacon
Race-end beacon
Force beacon

18. • Reduced dimension and an hardware &
user-friendly software.
• The system can be used not only in
medical field, but also in the daily
health and sport field.
• Parameters considered : reaction
time, speed, tremor, force and ability of
coordination and synchronization.
• Test protocol
• Results analysis : IPF

19. • Experimental tests done on subject affected
from Parkinson’s.
• Experimental tests done on subjects
belonging to the sport field.
• Tests in the professional field: Ferrari Race.

20. • This device is very small and portable device.
• User-friendly machine.
• It is like a mobile phone, with more efficient
diagnostic results.
• The ability to hold the joystick with a single hand is
the fundamental aspect of this system.
• A person’s state of health may be tested daily.

21. contd …
• It also provides the ability of transferring diagnosis
through a remote communication interface in order
to monitor daily the state of health of a patient.
• The system is an intelligent-machine based on soft
computing techniques.
• Its efficiency can be improved considering more
example for membership function calibration
or, moreover, improving the response correctness
by using a self learning technique.

22. • The DDX control system consists of a small board
with an internal fuzzy logic. It is clear that the main
disadvantage of such circuit switched networks is
that they are not able to adequately cope with
highly variable traffic.

23. • Daphne device allows to obtain a quantitative and exact
measure of the neuromotor health condition of a person
and of it reflects very well the psychological condition.
• The system is an intelligent biorobotic system based on soft
computing techniques and, as such, its efficiency maybe
improved via extended function calibration or by improving
response correctness with self-learning techniques.

24. • Rovetta , A. Cucè , D. Platania ,C. Solenghi,” New equipment for
the detection of the neuromotor diseases and efficiencies in the
motion control”.
• Eduardo Tolosa, Gregor Wenning, Werner Poewe, “The diagnosis
of Parkinson’s disease”,2006.
• W. Richards, “Natural Computation”, Mit Press,1998
• http://sitesearch.alz.org
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0049051/
• http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/motor_neuron_diseases/
• http://www.emedicinehealth.com/
• www.alz.org/gmc

26. Thank
you ;)