November 16, 2022
Kitasato University
Keio University
A research group led by Professor Masato Fujioka of the Kitasato University School of Medicine (Molecular Genetics, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery) and Yoshiharu Yamanobe of the Keio University School of Medicine (Otolaryngology, Doctoral Programs, Graduate School of Medicine) has devised a system to track head movements using an earphone-type wearable device with a built-in accelerometer and has conducted basic research on it.
A wide variety of diseases, such as Meniere's disease, menopausal disorders, and orthostatic hypotension, cause fluctuating unsteadiness and dizziness, many of which occur in daily life. These findings have shown the potential for quantitatively evaluating daily changes in symptoms of unsteadiness by measuring balance function—which previously could only be tested at medical institutions—outside the hospital or at home. By utilizing these findings, this system is expected to be useful for the diagnosis and follow-up of diseases that present with balance dysfunction. It is also anticipated that the system will be widely beneficial in the so-called "healthcare" field, where users can understand for themselves the fluctuations in their "physical condition" hidden in daily life.
In the future, we will conduct clinical application research aiming for social implementation in the fields of remote medical care and consultation and healthcare. We will also utilize it for the evaluation of dizziness symptoms in clinical trials for fluctuating inner ear disorders (hearing loss and dizziness). (These research findings were published in the Journal of Medical Systems on October 11, 2022).
For the full press release, please see below.