In its developer conference of 2017, Microsoft showcased a wearable device. However, it’s not meant for assisting a smartphone customer. It is here to fight a dreadful ailment faced by the humans – Parkinson’s disease.
In its demo video, Microsoft researcher Haiyan Zhang is shown to help a 33-year-old woman suffering from the disease write her name. The prototype smartwatch could assist people suffering from this disorder to manage and control tremors in a way that would give them the chance to perform typical daily activities, such as writing.
The smartwatch analyses the wearer’s symptoms and vibrates in a customised rhythm created using AI and the built-in sensors. The vibrations trick the brain into focusing on the wrist, reducing the signals that are sent to muscles that generate the tremors. The watch is still in a development phase, but the Microsoft researcher says that it’s been tested on four different individuals and the results were encouraging for three of them.
(With inputs from: Softpedia)
