Dr. Lauren Sergio, a VISTA Core Member, and her team have recently developed a tool that assesses decline in mobility in aging patients. The Mobility Assessment Technology Tool (MATT) is a user-friendly, low-cost, non-invasive, computerized vision system that objectively and reproducibly measures gait or balance mobility of a patient based on the standard Tinetti kinesiology assessment tool.

A product of the VISTA Research Grant, MATT incorporates dual camera video technologies and a laptop computer to run assessment algorithms to measures a patient’s mobility. From their four-minute performance, mobility is assessed by the ability to sit, stand, turn around, walk and sit back down.

Sergio and her team are in the process of finalizing the algorithms of the system by comparing its performance with independent clinician manual assessments and Sergio’s functional assessment tools in adults who: have no clinical issues, have suffered concussion, or are in early-stage dementia.

Validating the functionality of the pilot system and finalizing the user interface of this device will allow VISTA partner, PhD Associates, to advance a patent application and approach investors with a market ready product. If successful, the first hospital installation of MATT will allow for tracking the rehabilitation of out-patients.

The aim is to market MATT as the mobility tracking tool of choice for medical professionals working with injured, ill, and recovering patients. This work will advance the field of computer vision-assisted medical assessment technology and will impact the health of Canadians through improvements in functional assessment, diagnosis and rehabilitation. The technology will also serve alternative fields such as personal injury law and the insurance industry, where simple, computerized, rapid assessments of functional mobility impairment would be highly beneficial.