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Xbox for Stroke Rehabilitation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the play-your-way-to-a-healthier-you dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Using an Xbox modified to run Linux, researchers have developed virtual reality hand exercises for rehabilitating stroke patients. An inexpensive glove controller is used to interact with the Xbox. The hardware cost is a tenth of a comparable commercial hand rehabilitation system, leading to the possibility of deployment in patients' homes."

30 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting... by andrewman327 · · Score: 4, Informative
    A quick Google search shows that there is definitely interest in such a system. By utilizing a redily available asset, they are making it cheap and easy for both patient and developer.

    In case you are wondering what exactly the big deal is about stroke rehab, here is a snippit of a government factsheet:

    In the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke* each year, and approximately two-thirds of these individuals survive and require rehabilitation. The goals of rehabilitation are to help survivors become as independent as possible and to attain the best possible quality of life. Even though rehabilitation does not "cure" stroke in that it does not reverse brain damage, rehabilitation can substantially help people achieve the best possible long-term outcome. What is post-stroke rehabilitation? Rehabilitation helps stroke survivors relearn skills that are lost when part of the brain is damaged. For example, these skills can include coordinating leg movements in order to walk or carrying out the steps involved in any complex activity. Rehabilitation also teaches survivors new ways of performing tasks to circumvent or compensate for any residual disabilities. Patients may need to learn how to bathe and dress using only one hand, or how to communicate effectively when their ability to use language has been compromised. There is a strong consensus among rehabilitation experts that the most important element in any rehabilitation program is carefully directed, well-focused, repetitive practice - the same kind of practice used by all people when they learn a new skill, such as playing the piano or pitching a baseball.
    --
    Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    1. Re:Interesting... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A friend of mine who had a stroke has found that they have recovered a certain amount of mobility in their "bad" side by playing Eyetoy games on the PS2. I don't know how much and how quickly, but it's probably worth studying more closely.

    2. Re:Interesting... by Scoth · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My dad had a stroke two years ago. It was relatively minor as strokes went, but he still had a lot of coordination problems. His left side was far worse than his right. His recovery process was slow until they let him go home and he got back into trying to racing simulations he loved to play (Grand Prix Legends mostly. Awesome game but a heck of a learning curve). All of a sudden he did hugely better and pretty quickly was driving himself for real again. I mentioned it to the physical therapists but they didn't quite seem to understand. It's a shame, I bet there's plenty of untapped potential there. Whether it's actual video games or just something similar like this Xbox setup.

  2. Great job... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... too bad it's a violation of the DMCA.

    *shakes head and walks away in shame*

    1. Re:Great job... by donaldm · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Unfortunately you are right. Microsoft has no chance of making any profit by selling games for this modification it is purely a loss for them and to add insult the software is running under Linux.

      If Microsoft takes the developers to court, they could win legally but could end up with a public relations nightmare, so they will most likely ignore it since they do have very deep pockets.

      The only thing I can see come of this is Microsoft phases out the Xbox more quickly and this of course is going to get developers and gamers offside and that may play in favour of Nintendo and Sony and since Sony has made some major stuff-ups lately they will need every bit of help they can get. At least the PS2 is still a very viable and profitable console for vendors and consumers alike.

      --
      There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
  3. A powerglove! Its so retro! by bunbuntheminilop · · Score: 2, Funny

    We're partying like its 1989!

    1. Re:A powerglove! Its so retro! by AuMatar · · Score: 3, Funny

      I love this idea. Its so bad.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
  4. Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    But does it run Li.. oh wait, nevermind.

  5. Why an Xbox? by atomicstrawberry · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't see what the big deal in using an Xbox for this is. Wouldn't it be easier to just use an old PC with Linux on it?

    1. Re:Why an Xbox? by Al+Dimond · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm guessing they like that all Xboxen have the same exact hardware, whereas all old PCs don't. This way they can just create one Linux image and slap it on all the Xboxen without worrying about differences in hardware compatibility and performance wasting all their time.

    2. Re:Why an Xbox? by RuBLed · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Some speculationis to your question.

      Maybe....

      1. It is readily available and quite cheap
      2. They are all the same specs, so what you develop for 1 xbox would have "almost" the same performance as with all xbox
      3. It could be readily plugged into the television set and be unplugged as easily.
      4. More glove sales :) (hmmm.. I could already think of some uses for those gloves that this)

    3. Re:Why an Xbox? by rosscoe · · Score: 2, Informative

      One good reason is ease of use. Most stroke patients are elderly, in a lot of cases very elderly. Using a simple device like an xbox with a simple on/off switch will be far easier for them (and any carers) to use than a PC. Stroke patients often have problems remembering as well so the easier you can make it the better. And it's easier from a support point of view, but it would be easier still if it could be released as a proper xbox DVD so that no mods are required. I'm excited about this as my wife had a massive stroke last year and needs all the rehab she can get. This usually requires either lots of expensive kit or lots of visits to a rehab centre (which takes me out of work for a long time), cheap solutions like this one mean I can provide the rehab myself at home in my own time and reduce the cost to our health service.

  6. Here I am... by AHarrison · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here I am using a mouse like a sucker...

  7. Re:Wouldn't... by toejam316 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Indeed, but, fortunately, it doesn't require a modchip. all it requires is for you to softmod the Xbox, and possibly replace the Harddrive in it (to make it easyer for Linux). Softmodding, for the uninformed, is a exploit in a few games save game systems (Mech assault being one of them), which allows unsigned code to be run. using a hacked save, it runs a linux program and adds Evolution X (a Dashboard replacement) and a few other bits and pieces to the Xbox. Nifty eh?

  8. Re:Wouldn't... by Dormann · · Score: 3, Informative

    It is possible to install Linux on an xbox without a mod chip or even opening the box. It involves loading a "baited" savegame that triggers Intel's infamous buffer overrun and does some reworking of the device's startup files.

    However, as best I can recall, the DMCA doesn't care whether you're using a physical chip. It's just the act of circumventing a protection scheme that's illegal. So yes, the DMCA has still been violated.

    They could have avoided breaking the law by working on this humanitarian project only after leaving the United States.

    Either of these scenarios should make DMCA-loathers smug.

  9. Simple Solution by Propaganda13 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Microsoft lawyer says you're breaking the DMCA and this is how we're going to handle it
    1. A small team of software developers will sit down with you and write some rehab software for the XBox 360.
    2. Microsoft will donate the software and equivalent number of 360's to hospitals and clinics.
    3. We have a big press conference and you tell how Microsoft is helping stroke victims.

    -OR-

    We take you to court and do the same thing without you.

  10. Inhibiting research by cryptoluddite · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is exactly why DRM lockdown is such a bad thing for 'promoting the sciences and useful arts'. For xbox 360 these people would have to buy a sdk and pay licensing fees out the wazoo. It would never happen.

    The irony of "free markets" is that the less regulation the worse they perform. Monopolies are crackable DRM.

    1. Re:Inhibiting research by LaughingCoder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The irony of "free markets" is that the less regulation the worse they perform.

      Interesting. As one who has worked in the heavily regulated medical device industry, one of my favorite sayings that I utter frequently (especially when a really good idea gets squashed for "regulatory reasons") is "The more you regulate a business, the worse its products become."

      I have a huge number of examples that demonstrate the truth of this statement (don't get me started). Now, that said, I agree that a completely unfettered market breeds a different kind of problem. So what are we to conclude? As in most things, the "sweet spot" is somewhere in the middle. Of course, that means you must be willing to accept mild doses of the "negative" from the two extremes. In return you get to enjoy some of the "positives" of the two extremes. I look at it like balancing your portfolio in investing terms.

      --
      The more you regulate a company, the worse its products become.
    2. Re:Inhibiting research by vrtladept · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Funny that your DRM example actually proves the opposite. If we didn't have DMCA regulation, copyright, patent, and other "IP" laws then your scenario wouldn't matter, we would just crack the DRM and move on, thus removing the artificial monopoly built by technology.

  11. How to *really* gain acceptance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Reading this excerpt from the article:
    "In one exercise, a patient attempts to wipe clean four vertical bars of "dirty" pixels that obscure a pleasant image on a computer display."

    You've gotta wonder what'd happen if you loaded pr0n images in there. I'd be doing my exercises all... night... long...

  12. Re:A new twist for the joystick... by Tarison · · Score: 2, Funny

    If ever there was a more fitting signature, I haven't seen it.

  13. Uh-Oh! by NightDragon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hey, they could get in big trouble for that! its illegal to run linux on X-box! Those unscroupulus pigs!

    Oh, wait... Except that there are big technological advances to be made out there, but researchers all across the USA are scared to death that they are gonna violate a IP law (such as the DCMA) and be whisked to jail, be sued, or worse.

    I love the fact that these guys didnt let a little thing like a federal law stop them from inventing a solution that can help millions of people worldwide. They deserve a big kudos.

    IP Laws that stifile scientific progress and humanitarian advances? Naw, never!

    Why do we have to live in a country where intellectual property and B.S. politics are put before scientific research and advancement?

    shame on you, congress.

    --
    -ND
  14. is there any relation? by benplaut · · Score: 2, Interesting

    between strokes and epilectic seizures? If so, this is a very bad idea... regardless, there's nothing special about this... an xbox is just a computer, after all...

    1. Re:is there any relation? by TheFlyingGoat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      People who have had a stroke have a greater tendancy to have a seizure. It's something like 5% within the first 24 hours (they wouldn't be getting therapy at this point anyway) and 2-3% within the first year. There are plenty of medications that prevent seizures, though, and many stroke patients take a form of these. You also have doctor supervision (remotely in some instances).

      Additionally, the patient wouldn't be looking at their screen for long periods of time. Therapy sessions are generally limited to short periods of time... there's no use in long periods of therapy. My wife, who is an occupational therapist, suggested that someone with many hours a day of possible rehab time might only spend an hour or two doing actual rehab, and that time should be broken up into 15-20 minute segments.

      Finally, there is something special about this. An Xbox is much more standardized than most computers. The interface for the hardware will be exactly the same on every Xbox, making it easy for therapists and patients to use. Plus it doesn't have to be updated with security patches, virus scanners, etc, so it's more stable than a common desktop computer. It's also cheaper than most computers, coming in around $100-$125 these days.

      Some of the equipment my wife uses costs tens of thousands of dollars and wouldn't be as effective as this. I showed her this article and she's excited enough to show all of her therapist friends at the hospital.

      --
      You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
  15. Game therapy by bm_luethke · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sometime in the mid 80's I was diagnosed with several "learning disabilities". The only one I still carry to this day is Dyslexia (see my sig). Another one was reaction and hand eye co-ordination.

    For the latter the doctor told my parents to get me to play video games. They, at first, purchased me an (expensive at the time - nearly 3000 dollars) 8086. Unfortunatly for me (and thier money - it wasn't until my senior year in high school - '93 - that I became interested in computers) I never really got interested in it and picked up an Atari which I wore out. I've played video games constantly since then - it worked in my case. I'm sure they wished they had just bought the atari to begin with, but where happy I had something that I wanted to use that was also therapy for my problems.

    I sometimes wonder if the same treatment would be prescribed today given the current attitude towards games.

    The saddest part is that they had to hack the system to do this. I don't really know why they didn't use a PC and one of the free dev kits around - some are quite good (and many of the pay ones are free for research). Maybe they couldn't really find a replacement for the glove, but then it would seem easier to hack it into a joystick port than what they did. Ahh well, at least the research was done.

    --
    ------- Sorry about the spelling, I suffer from two problems. Dyslexia makes it difficult to spell well, lazy makes it
  16. But wait by webheaded · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't the soft mod exploit legal to install Linux with? What happens you ask? 1. Download gamesave for Mech Assault or another game that has been exploited 2. Open the save in the game of choice 3. Launch Linux Installer While thats obviously a simple run down of what you do, is that actually in violation of anything? You aren't modifying the hardware to run insigned code and crap, you are simply making the game overflow, crash, and then run a BIOS loader which loads a Linux installer. Am I missing something here?

    --
    "Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - BenF
    1. Re:But wait by Aladrin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That like asking 'Isn't it legal to break the law when there's nobody and nothing around to get hurt?' No, it's still not legal. There is no 'I didn't do it to break the law' clause in the DMCA. Circumventing the protection, for any reason, by any method, is against the law now in the US.

      The real shame here is that MS doesn't EVER license their devkits to anyone unless they are a serious game developer and can front a huge amount of cash. For that matter, Sony and Nintendo don't, either.

      I'm sure they are afraid some 'pirate' is going to use the official devkit to figure out how to fake the encryption and all that. But they usually figure all that mess out anyhow, or find an even better way to circumvent the protection, so there really isn't much point.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  17. Re:Wouldn't... by D4MO · · Score: 2, Insightful

    >FUD

    Inaccurate, pehaps. Mistakes, possibly. Fear Uncertainty Doubt it was not.

    --

    Rocket science is easy. Neurosurgery, now *that's* difficult.
  18. Yes, you are missing something by StringBlade · · Score: 2, Informative

    The act of circumventing the copy protection on the XBox (to get around the Dashboard) is illegal by the DMCA. The DMCA doesn't care if you use software or hardware mechanisms to circumvent (even poor) copy protection. Consider that the DMCA even applies to copy protection on CDs that is activated with Autorun. By holding shift or disabling Autorun you're effectively circumventing that copy protection and therefore violating the DMCA in the strictest sense.

    There are a few exceptions as pertain to Fair Use rights, but the DMCA is not like a patent. It cannot be invalidated because the circumvention is "obvious" or "so easy a 3 year-old could do it accidentally". It's a broad, stupid, law written to protect those who couldn't deal with our court system and the existing copyright laws.

    --
    ...and that's the way the cookie crumbles.
  19. So perverse. by puppetluva · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is the most perverse thing I've ever read. A computer built by Microsoft that uses a linux-powered glove to stroke its victims.

    I'd read more about it but I don't really read articles. . . .