acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

ACM News

Wearables Track Parkinson's Better Than Human Observation, Study Finds


View as: Print Mobile App Share:
Each test subject wore six sensors  on the chest, at the base of the spine, and one on each wrist and foot.

In the study, wearable sensors tracked 122 physiological metrics, including the direction a toe moved during a step and the length and regularity of strides.

Credit: Stephen Speranza/The New York Times

An Oxford University researcher and her team showed that digital wearable devices can track the progression of Parkinson's disease in an individual more effectively than human clinical observation can, according to a newly published paper.

By tracking more than 100 metrics picked up by the devices, researchers were able to discern subtle changes in the movements of subjects with Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative disease that afflicts 10 million people worldwide.

The lead researcher emphasized that the latest findings were not a treatment for Parkinson's. Rather, they are a means of helping scientists gauge whether novel drugs and other therapies for Parkinson's are slowing the progression of the disease.

From The New York Times
View Full Article

 


 

No entries found

Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account