Systems and methods of monitoring exercises and ranges of motion
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are provided for remotely a monitoring an individual's ability to carry out a various exercise activities and to evaluate the individual's range of motion. The individual can stand or sit in the field of view of the camera and carry out a set of base line activities. The baseline activities can be stored for subsequent retrieval and analysis. Based on the results of that evaluation, other activities can be prescribed for the individual to systematically carry out. The results of the subsequent activities can be evaluated and compared to the result of the base line activities to determine how the activities should be revised or whether other treatments are required or appropriate.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a camera having a predetermined field of view;
control circuits coupled to the camera;
a device coupled to the control circuits that stores information from the camera; and
a multi-dimensional display device, coupled to the control circuits, the device projects an image of an individual onto the display device with the control circuits providing direction to the individual including indicators of a sequence of requested positions that evaluate a range of motion of the individual in the field of view adjacent the image of the individual, the control circuits receiving verbal indication from the individual upon completion of each requested position of the sequence of positions, said control circuits providing immediate feedback of the individual's progress in obtaining said requested position in response to said received verbal indication before presenting another position of the plurality of positions.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where information concerning the individual's response to the requested position is stored in the device by the control circuits.
3. An apparatus as in claim 2 which includes interface circuitry, coupled to the control circuits, that transmits information stored in the device to a displaced monitoring location.
4. An apparatus as in claim 3 which includes a monitoring station, at the displaced location, the monitoring station receives the information from the interface circuitry and includes a device for displaying representations of such information.
5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the control circuits include a programmable processor and executable software which provide a set of baseline activities for the individual to emulate.
6. An apparatus as in claim 5 which includes software to evaluate information from the camera pertaining to the individual's response to the set of baseline activities.
7. An apparatus as in claim 6 which includes software that establishes a baseline profile for the individual and stores that profile at the device.
8. An apparatus as in claim 7 where information indicative of the individual's emulation of the target image is compared to the pre-stored baseline profile for that individual.
9. An apparatus as in claim 8 where, responsive to results of the comparison, the processor and software modify the target image.
10. An apparatus as in claim 9 which includes circuitry to emit verbal feedback to the user relative to the activities.
11. A method comprising:
control circuits providing a plurality of indicators of baseline activities that evaluate a range of motion of a user on a display for the user;
control circuits requesting that the user emulate the provided activities and receiving verbal feedback from the user that each activity has been completed;
a camera obtaining real-time images of the user as the user emulates the activities the real time images showing the indicators adjacent the user on the display; and
control circuits evaluating performance of the user from the real-time images.
12. A method as in claim 11 which includes visually providing target activities for the user.
13. A method as in claim 12 which includes at least one of verbally, or visually requesting that the user emulate the target activities.
14. A method as in claim 13 which includes evaluating the user's emulation of the target activities.
15. A method as in claim 14 which includes transmitting information relative to the user's emulation of the target activities to a displaced site for evaluation.