Fanshawe’s School of Design teams up with medical technology sector

September 9, 2016

Fanshawe graduate Louise Marchand (left) adjusts belts on the motion capture suit. Marchand and Fanshawe design professors designed the suit to be used in the diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson’s patients. (Photo submitted)

You won’t find it on the catwalk, but a prototype motion capture suit from Fanshawe College’s School of Design in collaboration with London-based medical device company Movement Disorder Diagnostic Technologies (MDDT) may one day help diagnose and monitor people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

According to a news release August 31, the motion capture suit is designed to help researchers report and assess the tremors of patients more accurately, an important process before determining the correct dosages for drug therapies.

With Fanshawe’s help, MDDT’s technology is being adapted for home assessment and mass production. The suit works with software MDDT uses to capture data from sensors placed at fixed points across the body. The data obtained is then used in ongoing monitoring and assessment.

The suit is also being designed for Parkinson’s patients with a wide variety of tremor activity and varying body types while still being washable and durable.

“The collaborative efforts between MDDT and Fanshawe College allowed us to address an unmet patient need in medicine,” said Jack Lee, chief technology officer at MDDT. “We are grateful for the design by recent Fanshawe graduate Louise Marchand, with guidance from Fanshawe design professors, which incorporates comfort and practicality into new medical technology.”

Fanshawe’s School of Design is also providing input into a similar MDDT prototye, the TremorTek sleeve.

An earlier design by the company, the sleeve contains multiple sensors that can analyze complex movements with a high degree of accuracy. Using data from the sleeve, doctors are able to isolate specific areas for the arm muscle to guide drug treatments.

The prototype also allows for use by multiple health care providers and caregivers when monitoring tremor treatments at the hospital or at home.

“This project demonstrates the trend towards cross-sector research and innovation activities and, in this case, by the merging of fashion with technology to develop a product for the health sector,” said Dan Douglas, dean of Fanshawe’s Centre for Research and Innovation. “Projects such as this have an immediate and substantial impact for industry partners and those they serve while providing valuable experiences for our student researchers.”

http://www.thelondoner.ca/2016/09/09/fanshawes-school-of-design-teams-up-with-medical-technology-sector