UTD computer scientists collaborated with researchers at the Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System to develop a system to manage phantom limb pain. [Photo: UTD]
Dr. Balakrishnan Prabhakaran
computer science professor
UT Dallas
… about co-developing the Mr. MAPP VR system for amputees with phantom limb syndrome.
Dean PetersonA US Navy veteran who lost his left lower leg in a hunting accident 16 years ago, he slept soundly for the first time in years when he took part in a recent pilot trial. Mr. MAPP“Mixed reality” systems combine VR and computer vision technology to Dr. Prabhakaran.
The system uses a laptop, camera, and VR headset to create a virtual 3D model of the user’s missing or paralyzed limb. Peterson put on his VR headset and played a series of games in which a virtual model of his missing leg stomped on the floor and burst bubbles.
[Image: VA]
“The whole idea is to trick your brain into actually looking at your legs and feet,” Peterson said in a statement. I noticed that it was gone.It was easier to fall asleep.I was impressed with that.”
Peterson was just one of 12 veterans who participated in MAPP’s at-home pilot trial. Dallas VA Medical CenterMr. MAPP (abbreviation of Mixed reality system for Managing Phantom Pain) Doctor Prabhakaran in collaboration with researchers in Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System.
Mr. MAPP uses the RGB-D camera as follows. Microsoft Kinect Create a real-time 3D model of your patient. Using computer vision and graphics, the illusion of a virtual limb is created by mirroring the saved limb onto the captured data.
Prabhakaran and his fellow researchers see MAPP as a potential alternative to opioid use, and believe the technology could be used for other conditions that cause pain.
A hi-tech VR update to a classic remedy
Dr. Prabhakaran and UTD PhD student Yu Yen Chung [Photo: UTD]
Mixed signals to the brain are thought to be responsible for phantom limb pain, even years after the amputation. The Mr. MAPP system is designed to help your brain resolve signals. This is an updated version of the classic ‘mirror box therapy’ treatment that uses a box and mirror to give the patient the illusion of a missing limb. But box-and-mirror treatments aren’t ideal and are usually offered only in medical facilities, he said.
Using VR and Augmented Reality technology (overlaying real-world objects onto virtual settings), Mr. MAPP improves treatment while allowing patients to use Mr. MAPP at home.
Peterson has tried and failed mirror box therapy in the past and is excited about MAPP’s potential.
“It was a pretty cool feeling. It felt like I had two legs, but it was cool enough that I wanted to keep doing it,” Peterson said.
Lead author Prabhakaran and study co-authors described MAPP in an article published online on October 22. Pilot and feasibility studies.
Co-authors of the study, UT Dallas, include: Dr. Kanchan BahiratAs a doctoral student, I worked on a project and currently Shinbe Robotics, Yu Yen Chung, PhD student in computer science.Other contributors include corresponding authors Dr. Till Anaswamy,Previously UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Dallas Virginia and recently appointed Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; Dr. Gargi Laval, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern.When Tori FamUT Southwest medical student.
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