TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | j u n e 2 0 1 4 27 were being used in traditional dexterity tests—using time as a metric for success is pretty rough and imprecise," added Kumar. He explained that the team installed an inertial measurement unit within the peg, which tracks patient motion, as well as a Bluetooth chip to transfer the motion data to be displayed visually on a graphical user interface. The quality of movement of the motion path is the new metric for success— an important factor in determining whether the patient needs more therapy or more surgery. For mechanical engineering major Allison Garza, working with kids made the accessibility of the DeXcellence device an essential factor in the design process. "If you look at the design, you have targets on one side, because kids can really easily associate targets with being able to land as close to the center as possible," she said. "It was the same with the trace paths—kids all know about tracing lines, and the bright color scheme of using red on black makes it very vibrant. It's all about presenting it to patients not as a scary tool, but as something that's fun. For them, it's a game." "I think the possibilities for this are enormous," said occupational therapist Dorit Aaron, former president of the American Society of Hand Therapists and a Shriners volunteer. "The device is different from the original FTD in the sense that it requires both gross motor as well as fine motor movements to accomplish the task. They have to manipulate the peg and they have to move it in space. That gives us infor- mation about the shoulder and elbow motion as well as the digits, and we can track it in the computer." The students worked hard to pres- ent a polished project. "We have the motion-capture technology with the peg, we have the exam itself, we built the software in the computer and we have the charger for the peg," Agarwal said. "That's what we set out to do. We wanted to give them the entire solution; not one part of it, but everything they needed to conduct an exam." The team's success was recognized by all who watched the DeXcellence team demonstrate it at Rice's annual George R. Brown Engineering Design Showcase and Poster Competition, at which the team won the grand prize of $5,000 in April. The team also placed second in the International Student a device like this shows the power of the synergies that can happen between insti- tutions like rice and texas Medical center. you've got a treasure trove of resources at rice in the engineering field, and you have a treasure trove of clinically minded profes- sionals at the medical center. — vivaSwath KuMar rice university electrical and computer engineering student, '14 Design Showcase at the University of Minnesota's Design of Medical Devices conference in April. To cap off their recognition and suc- cess, the team was thrilled to see their device in action. A week before gradua- tion, the students gathered at Shriners to observe as Brandon Sierra, 15, put the device through its paces. Sierra under- went surgery on his right arm in April to help him improve motion in the arm that had been hindered by hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Although the team will be parting ways after graduation, their device stands as a testament to interdisci- plinary teamwork. "We had worked previously together in other classes and, fortunately, our professors paired us together," said Kumar. "We had four different engineering majors on our team—I can't think of collaboration more interdisciplinary in my experi- ence at Rice. Four majors within one five person team is pretty out there." The project between the five students reflects the larger scale institutional collaboration between Rice and Shriners. "A device like this shows the power of the synergies that can happen between institutions like Rice and TMC," said Kumar. "You've got a treasure trove of resources at Rice in the engineering field, and you have a treasure trove of clinically minded professionals at the TMC. We're very thankful for both the support of Rice University and at Shriners. This project is very applicable to a wide variety of patients, which is something that drove us to make it better and better." Gogola envisions a future for the Rice invention extending beyond cerebral palsy therapy, capitalizing on the rich pool of resources within the medical center. "This device could be used in any situation where dexterity, or the fine motor movements of the hand, needs to be tested," she said. "It could be used to evaluate patients being treated for stroke, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, trauma—any situation where the ability to use their hands is affected. The potential for wider collaboration within the Texas Medical Center is massive. The ultimate goal is to better understand these disease processes so we can better understand and treat our patients."

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