Developing Sensor Technology for Treating Parkinson's Disease
ME Professor Rajesh Rajamani is changing the way doctors treat Parkinson's disease by developing sensor technology to fill a gap in existing treatments.
Neurosurgeon Robert McGovern was seeking a way to obtain data about patient movements outside of a clinic setting. Dr. McGovern contacted the Minnesota Robotics Institute (MnRI) and asked, "What do we need to do in order to capture a larger variety of movement data over a longer period of time?" The answer was wearable sensors that can be sent home with the patient, giving key metrics about the patient's movements — including when they stumble or fall — that could inform more targeted physical therapy and other treatments.