Optogait Video Feedback

The main idea of this new feature is to show the patient directly some main parameters of the test he/she is carrying out. This allows to request real-time 'corrections' of some trial anomalies, making the test become an exercise, not only a diagnosis. Particular attention is paid to the concept of asymmetry, i.e. the difference between right and left foot (expressed in %) with respect to a particular parameter.

A classic example is a treadmill gait test, where the patient has a monitor in front of him/her (better if a large-screen TV), where the operator can choose which parameter among those available to display, depending on the pathology or rehabilitation.

During the gait test, the patient receives a numerical/graphical feedback (in the form of green/orange/red colors and up/down arrow symbols) indicating what is not 'working' and how to correct it (e.g. making the left gait longer or increasing the rhythm, etc.

The new feature (presently available only for Sprint and Gait Tests; Treadmill Gait, Treadmill Run, and Tapping) is found in Test Module > Execute > Configure, with the two parameters 'Output second monitor' and 'Save Test Data.

When the 'Output Second Monitor' option is selected, a window is created on the second monitor (or on the same monitor, when the second one is not physically present), where the displaying of one test parameter asymmetry can be configured (e.g. the step length for a gait test) both as a numerical value and as a graphical bar display.

Instead the 'Save Test Data' parameter is used (if set on No) when, as previously described, the patient must 'exercise' and it is not necessary to save the test at the end of the trial. In this case no data 'sampling' and, most of all, no webcam video sampling is carried out, thus reducing the used disk space (temporary video files and memory swap files) as well as CPU use.

The parameter to be displayed is configured in the second window on a side panel bar, which can be minimized (<< key).

The parameters, which can be set, are the following:

• Type: the parameter to be displayed (changes depending on the test type carried out; e.g. for a tapping test, the flight and contact times, rhythm, etc., for run tests, speed, acceleration, etc., whereas for gait tests, regular gait analysis parameters, such as stance, swing, single support, step length, etc.).
• Data Window: the amount of data used for calculating the asymmetry (the last N are used); the higher the data, the better the 'average' and the more real the value, but it will be more difficult for the patient to try and correct his/her asymmetry.
• Warning Threshold: if the asymmetry is lower than this percentage, the value is displayed on a green background, and if it is higher, the background color is orange
• Bad Threshold: if the asymmetry is lower than this percentage, the value is displayed on an orange background, and if it is higher, the background color is red. Setting for example the warning threshold at 5% and the bad threshold at 10% the following background colors will be used:

0 <= value< 5 -> green

5 <= value<10 -> orange

>= 10 -> red

Trend: if the asymmetry value exceeds the warning threshold, an indication for the patient is displayed with an arrow on the value bar. The indication can be to increase the lower value or to decrease the higher value.