May Liang, Aria Rezapour
Common treatment for patients who experience mobility problems is to go through rehabilitation programs aimed at helping them regain the highest level of mobility possible. The problem with these programs is that patients often lose interest and motivation due to the disengaging nature of the exercises and equipment. Music to Movement is a unique, data-driven music therapy designed to create a fun and engaging experience for patients working towards their recovery. This is done using interconnected peripheral devices to give audio, visual, and tactile feedback directly to the patient, along with a software application that records and tracks sessions to generate real-time plots based on the applied force, frequency and response time of the patients motions. The information is stored in a secure offline database over the course of a rehabilitation program to monitor long-term development progress of the patient. The M2M device also integrates music and gamification into traditional physical rehabilitation practices, and therapists can select 1 out of 4 possible device game modes to target the user’s specific needs for the session. M2M is unique particularly due to the focus it gives to using music in rehabilitation, which is proven to have a significant impact on an individual who has experienced brain injury, contributing to the rebuilding of sensory integration and cognitive functioning. Overall, a device that actively engages the patient and introduces light-hearted fun into a rather difficult situation, outfitted with data-tracking capabilities can have immeasurable effects on the patient’s physical recovery progress, attitude and mental health throughout their recovery.