SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Military service members are exposed to an array of challenging conditions and dangerous environments that can result in traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI). Combined, TBI and MSKI significantly impact military operational readiness and present a significant burden on the military health system. TBI and MSKI can each present as disordered balance, however, their etiology is significantly different and an incorrect diagnosis can complicate treatment. Traditional computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) systems provide the best means to assess the effected sensory system, however, they are large, immovable, expensive, and have limited utility outside of balance assessment. The military health system needs a portable, lightweight, and compact CDP system to replace existing assessment systems and provide new opportunities for individualized rehabilitation. To meet these requirements, Charles River Analytics proposes to design and demonstrate the feasibility of Portable Posturography Platform for Optimized Sensory organization Testing, User-specific Rehabilitation, and Evaluation (P3OSTURE). The P3OSTURE effort includes: (1) a portable, lightweight, yet rugged CDP platform with controllable instability; (2) integrated virtual reality for stimulus presentation and eye tracking; (3) platform control, data analysis, and assessment customization software; and (4) user interfaces that meet the dual requirements of assessment and individualized rehabilitation use cases.
