The Nintendo Wii controller can be used to diagnose children with abnormal head position caused by eye diseases, Investigative Ophtalmology & Visual Science reports.
Torticollis (in Latin, torticollis) is usually the result of primary or secondary changes in the muscles of the neck or cervical spine. The head and neck are forcibly tilted towards the shoulder, possibly twisting to the opposite side. This disorder occurs in about 1,3 percent. kids.
One of the causes of torticollis may be sight compensation. It is essential to measure the angle at which the head is positioned – on the basis of such tests, it is possible to determine whether the changes are intensifying and whether a surgeon’s intervention is indicated. Taking reliable measurements is not an easy task with mobile children.
According to Jeong – Min Hwang from the University of Seoul, the ideal solution may be digital measurement based on data from a Wiimote controller, equipped with a motion sensor, accelerometer and optical sensor (camera with an infrared filter). Scientists used two Wiimote controllers to create an infrared system that measures the angle of the head. Both controllers are connected to the computer. The effectiveness of this solution was compared with the CROM measuring device commonly used in hospitals during tests on healthy adults. The results were similar in both cases.