Cosmin Mihaiu: Physical therapy is boring — play a game instead

Translator: Raquel Senra Fernández Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

When I was growing up, I really liked playing hide-and-seek a lot.

De cativo encantábame xogar aos agochos.

Moito.

One time, though, I thought climbing a tree would lead to a great hiding spot,

Unha vez subín a unha árbore para ter un grande escondedoiro,

but I fell and broke my arm.

pero caín e rompín un brazo.

I actually started first grade with a big cast all over my torso.

E así comecei primaria cunha grande escaiola no torso.

Quitáronma seis semanas despois, pero non podía estirar o cóbado,

It was taken off six weeks later, but even then, I couldn't extend my elbow,

así que tiven que facer fisioterapia para flexionalo e estiralo,

and I had to do physical therapy to flex and extend it,

100 times per day, seven days per week.

cen veces ao día, sete días á semana.

Case non fixen nada. Era aburrido, doía...

I barely did it, because I found it boring and painful,

En consecuencia botei seis semanas máis para recuperarme.

and as a result, it took me another six weeks to get better.

Many years later, my mom developed frozen shoulder,

Anos despois, miña nai padeceu de ombro conxelado,

which leads to pain and stiffness in the shoulder.

que produce dor e rixidez nesa zona.

A persoa da que, durante media vida, crin que tiña superpoderes,

The person I believed for half of my life to have superpowers

suddenly needed help to get dressed or to cut food.

de súpeto precisaba axuda para se vestir ou cortar a comida.

She went each week to physical therapy, but just like me,

Cada semana ía a sesións de fisioterapia pero, coma min,

she barely followed the home treatment,

apenas seguía o tratamento na casa

and it took her over five months to feel better.

tardou máis de cinco meses en comezar a mellorar.

Both my mom and I required physical therapy,

Tanto miña nai coma min precisabamos fisioterapia,

a process of doing a suite of repetitive exercises

un proceso no que realizas exercicios repetitivos

in order to regain the range of movement lost due to an accident or injury.

para recuperar o movemento perdido tras un accidente ou lesión.

At first, a physical therapist works with patients,

Ao comezo, o fisioterapeuta traballa co paciente

pero despois é cousa do paciente facer os exercicios na casa.

but then it's up to the patients to do their exercises at home.

Pero aos pacientes resúltanlles aburridos, frustrantes, confusos

But patients find physical therapy boring, frustrating, confusing

and lengthy before seeing results.

e longos ata obteren resultados.

Sadly, patient noncompliance can be as high as 70 percent.

É unha mágoa ver que o abandono pode chegar ao 70%.

This means the majority of patients don't do their exercises

Isto indica que a maioría non fai os exercicios

and therefore take a lot longer to get better.

e, polo tanto, tarda moito máis en recuperarse.

All physical therapists agree that special exercises

Os fisioterapeutas coinciden en que determinados exercicios

reduce the time needed for recovery,

reducen o tempo de recuperación,

but patients lack the motivation to do them.

pero os pacientes non están motivados para facelos.

So together with three friends, all of us software geeks,

Así que tres amigos e mais eu,

todos nós frikis informáticos,

we asked ourselves,

preguntámonos

wouldn't it be interesting if patients could play their way to recovery?

se non sería interesante que os pacientes puidesen recuperarse xogando.

We started building MIRA, A P.C. software platform

Comezamos a crear MIRA, unha plataforma de software para PC

that uses this Kinect device, a motion capture camera,

que usa Kinect, unha cámara que capta o movemento,

to transform traditional exercises into video games.

para mudar os exercicios tradicionais en videoxogos.

My physical therapist has already set up a schedule for my particular therapy.

A fisioterapeuta xa marcou o horario para a miña terapia.

Vexamos como é.

Let's see how this looks.

The first game asks me to fly a bee up and down

No primeiro xogo voas cunha abella de arriba a abaixo

to gather pollen to deposit in beehives,

para recoller o pole e pousalo na colmea

mentres esquivas outros bechos.

all while avoiding the other bugs.

I control the bee by doing elbow extension and flexion,

Controlo a abella ao estirar e dobrar o cóbado,

just like when I was seven years old after the cast was taken off.

igual que cando tiña sete anos e me quitaron a escaiola.

When designing a game, we speak to physical therapists at first

Antes de deseñar o xogo falamos coa comunidade de fisioterapeutas

to understand what movement patients need to do.

para entender qué movementos precisan facer os pacientes.

We then make that a video game

Logo deseñamos un videoxogo

to give patients simple, motivating objectives to follow.

para ofrecerlles aos pacientes metas motivadoras e sinxelas que seguir.

But the software is very customizable,

O software pode personalizarse

and physical therapists can also create their own exercises.

e os fisioterapeutas tamén poden crear os seus propios exercicios.

Using the software, my physical therapist

Con este software, a miña fisioterapeuta

recorded herself performing a shoulder abduction,

gravouse facendo unha abdución do ombro,

which is one of the movements my mom had to do

un dos movementos que miña nai tiña que facer

when she had frozen shoulder.

cando padecía de ombro conxelado.

I can follow my therapist's example on the left side of the screen,

Podo seguir o exemplo da fisioterapeuta no lado esquerdo da pantalla,

while on the right, I see myself doing the recommended movement.

mentres que no dereito véxome facendo o movemento recomendado.

I feel more engaged and confident,

Estou máis involucrado e síntome máis seguro

as I'm exercising alongside my therapist

porque fago os exercicios coa miña terapeuta

e fago o que ela considera mellor para min.

with the exercises my therapist thinks are best for me.

This basically extends the application for physical therapists

Basicamente, a aplicación ofrécelles aos fisioterapeutas

to create whatever exercises they think are best.

a posibilidade de crearen o exercicio que crean máis axeitado.

Este é un xogo de poxas para previr caídas

This is an auction house game for preventing falls,

designed to strengthen muscles and improve balance.

deseñado para fortalecer os músculos e mellorar o equilibrio.

As a patient, I need to do sit and stand movements,

Aquí, teño que facer movementos de sentarse e erguerse

and when I stand up,

e, cando me ergo,

I bid for the items I want to buy.

poxo polos artigos que quero mercar.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

In two days, my grandmother will be 82 years old,

De aquí a dous días, miña avoa fará 82 anos

and there's a 50 percent chance for people over 80

e hai un 50% de posibilidades de que os maiores de 80 anos

to fall at least once per year,

caian polo menos unha vez ao ano,

o que pode provocar rotura de cadeira ou algo aínda peor.

which could lead to a broken hip or even worse.

Poor muscle tone and impaired balance are the number one cause of falls,

O baixo ton muscular e os problemas de equilibrio son as causas principais

so reversing these problems through targeted exercise

polo que frear estes problemas con exercicios específicos

will help keep older people like my grandmother

axudará a que xente maior como miña avoa

safer and independent for longer.

estea protexida e sexa independente por máis tempo.

When my schedule ends, MIRA briefly shows me

Cando o meu horario remata, MIRA amosa un resumo

how I progressed throughout my session.

do meu progreso durante a sesión.

I have just shown you three different games

Acabo de mostrarvos tres xogos diferentes

for kids, adults and seniors.

para nenos, adultos e anciáns.

Poden empregarse con pacientes ortopédicos ou neurolóxicos,

These can be used with orthopedic or neurologic patients,

but we'll soon have options for children with autism,

e axiña teremos opcións para nenos con autismo,

mental health or speech therapy.

doenzas mentais ou patoloxías da fala.

My physical therapist can go back to my profile

A miña fisioterapeuta pode volver ao meu perfil

and see the data gathered during my sessions.

e ver os datos recollidos nas miñas sesións.

She can see how much I moved, how many points I scored,

Pode ver canto me movín, cantos puntos conseguín,

with what speed I moved my joints,

a velocidade das miñas articulacións

and so on.

e moitas cousas máis.

My physical therapist can use all of this to adapt my treatment.

Pode empregar todo isto para adaptar o meu tratamento.

I'm so pleased this version is now in use

Alégrame dicir que esta versión se emprega

in over 10 clinics across Europe and the U.S.,

en máis de dez clínicas de Europa e dos EE. UU.

e que traballamos na versión doméstica.

and we're working on the home version.

We want to enable physical therapists to prescribe this digital treatment

Queremos que os fisioterapeutas poidan prescribir este tratamento dixital

and help patients play their way to recovery at home.

e axudarlles aos pacientes a recuperarse nas súas casas.

Se miña nai ou eu tivésemos algo así cando precisamos fisioterapia,

If my mom or I had a tool like this when we needed physical therapy,

then we would have been more successful following the treatment,

seguiriamos o tratamento

and perhaps gotten better a lot sooner.

e se cadra, recuperabámonos antes.

(Risas)

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Tom Rielly: So Cosmin, tell me what hardware is this

Tom Rielly: Cosmin, que hardware é este

that they're rapidly putting away?

que están retirando?

What is that made of, and how much does it cost?

De que está feito e canto custa?

Cosmin Milhau: So it's a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 for the demo,

Cosmin Mihaiu: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 para a demo

but you just need a computer and a Kinect, which is 120 dollars.

pero só precisas un ordenador e un Kinect, que custa 120 dólares.

TR: Right, and the Kinect is the thing that people use for their Xboxes

TR: Ben, e o Kinect é o que se emprega para xogar coa Xbox

to do 3D games, right?

cos xogos en 3D, non si?

CM: Exacto, pero non precisas a Xbox, só unha cámara.

CM: Exactly, but you don't need the Xbox, you only need a camera.

TR: Entón custa menos de 1000 dólares?

TR: Right, so this is less than a $1,000 solution.

CM: Así é, podes telo por 400.

CM: Definitely, 400 dollars, you can definitely use it.

TR: E agora, estás cos ensaios clínicos. CM: Si.

TR: So right now, you're doing clinical trials in clinics.

CM: Yes.

TR: And then the hope is to get it so it's a home version

TR: E despois esperas deseñar a versión doméstica

and I can do my exercise remotely,

para practicar a distancia e que na clínica

and the therapist at the clinic can see how I'm doing and stuff like that.

vexan o progreso e outras cousas.

CM: Xusto.

CM: Exactly.

TR: Xenial. Moitas grazas. CM: Grazas.

TR: Cool. Thanks so much. CM: Thank you.

(Aplausos)

(Applause)