Headset aids Parkinson's patients | CNET News.com -
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Published on: 2/28/2003
Last Visited: 2/28/2003
"The fact that Xybernaut technologies are actually designed to be worn by the user made them a much more flexible computing solution," stated Dr. Reynold Greenlaw of Oxford Computer Consultants, a member of the consortium.
According to the Parreha Web site, some Parkinson's disease patients have trouble walking because of a syndrome called kinesia paradoxa: When moving down an unobstructed pathway such as a corridor, patients can become confused.
But paradoxically, when the path is delineated or broken up by markers such as strips of paper, navigation becomes easier for the patient.
The head-mounted display places a monitor over one eye.When combined with what the patient sees from the other eye, the effect is of the real world overlaid with a virtual tunnel that scrolls slowly past as the patient walks, according to the Parreha site.