Researchers from the Seoul National University College of Medicine have used Nintendo Wii game controllers to help diagnose ocular torticollis, a medical condition in which the head is tilted to one side to compensate for certain eye pathology. They have reported their findings in the current issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences.
The infrared optical head tracker (IOHT) was created by fixating the two Wii controllers to a mechanical frame and connecting them to a computer via Bluetooth. Infrared LEDs were placed on a frame and placed on the forehead. This way, movements by the head can be registered by the Wii controllers. The IOHT setup was compared with a standard cervical range of motion (CROM) device. This is one of the most widely used head posture measuring devices. The two setups were compared for one-dimensional and three-dimensional head posture measurements in normal adults. The comparison showed that in terms of accuracy, validity and reliability, the Wii setup measurements were very close to those of the CROM device.
As the performance of the IOHT setup was impressive, easy to use and relatively low cost, it has potential to be used for head posture measurements in daily ophthalmological practice.
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology press release: Nintendo Wii™ Game Controllers Help Diagnose Eye Disorder…
