Communications of the ACM
Researchers Harness Computer Science for Treating Opioid Addiction
MSU researcher Laura Stanley (left) and senior Kajia Coziahr test a physiological monitoring device as part of a project to develop AR technology to help treat opioid addiction.
Credit: Kelly Gorham / MSU
Researchers at Montana State University are developing a way to use augmented reality to help those recovering from opiod addiction.
Backed by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, MSU computer scientists will work with health care professionals to develop a computerized system that connects patients with recovery strategies, whether at work, home, or elsewhere.
"We want to harness these technological advances to provide people with discreet, portable, and personalized interventions that can help them deal with their cravings," says Laura Stanley, associate professor in the Gianforte School of Computing in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, who is leading the project.
The technology will include augmented reality glasses or headsets that can guide patients through breathing exercises meant to calm them and even display lifelike, interactive recordings of a therapist. A wristwatch-like wearable computer that monitors a patient's heart rate and other vital signs will help the system gauge a patient's mental state and respond accordingly.
"We're not trying to replace in-person treatment but rather give people another set of coping tools," Stanley says.
"One value of this approach is that the treatment can happen in real time, so someone can have an intervention instantaneously instead of having to wait until they can come into the clinic," says research team member Angelica Perez, a director at the Prisma Health Addiction Research Center.
The researchers will work with patient volunteers to help develop and test the technology in a study that will involve nearly 50 people recovering from opioids.
The collaborators will develop the software underlying the technology, including algorithms that interactively blend therapeutic interventions into a patient's experience. Those algorithms will draw from methods in machine learning.
"Ultimately, the goal is to make something that's as effective as possible for the patients," Stanley says. "Even if we only reach a small percentage of people struggling with opioid addiction, we can have a big impact."
From Montana State University
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