Novint Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NVNT) today announced it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) subcontract to develop a videogame that will improve cognitive, motor, and sensory performance in soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). The SBIR was awarded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Defense Health Program. Novint's partner on the project will be SimQuest LLC, the recipient of the SBIR grant. SimQuest is a highly regarded biomedical training company with offices in Maryland and Massachusetts, and is a frequent collaborator with Novint on Federal research projects.
The videogame is anticipated to run on the Xbox 360™ platform in conjunction with Novint's award-winning high-fidelity touch controller, the Novint Falcon, and will allow patients to perform rehabilitative tasks using their sense of touch, in a highly interactive and engaging gaming context. Novint's Falcon will deliver realistic forces corresponding with the task being performed, and will also deliver corrective or cuing forces to further enhance treatment. For example, a patient trying to reach for an object may not be able to control the trajectory of his or her hand movement. The Falcon is able to establish spatial limitations on movement between the patient and target object, and will apply a counterforce to the patient's arm to keep it moving on the proper trajectory. Application of counterforce has been shown to decrease tremor and improve accuracy of movement in patients with neurological deficits. The inclusion of touch technology in the game will also be particularly beneficial to returning soldiers who have lost their hearing and sight.
The game will be developed in collaboration with The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research [TIRR] Memorial Hermann Hospital, and will support Project Victory. Project Victory provides cognitive, physical, psychological, vocational and educational services to servicemembers with moderate/severe TBI or post-concussive symptoms, with the objective of helping them achieve the maximum degree of return to their pre-injury level of function and successful community re-integration.
"The sense of touch is extremely powerful when used as a rehabilitative aid," said Tom Anderson, CEO of Novint Technologies. "Novint is pleased that its touch technology can contribute to the recovery efforts of returning servicemembers experiencing the effects of traumatic brain injuries."
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