Scientists have adapted the motion capture technology used in James Cameron’s Avatar films for use in disease progression tracking research.
20th Century Studios
Avatar: The Way of Water’s motion capture suits have not only helped bring characters to life on the big screen, but new research shows that the technology has also been helping scientists track the onset and progression of diseases that impair movement.
When it comes to diseases that affect someone’s mobility, early identification and assessment can play a big role in providing effective support and treatment for patients.
New progression tracking pioneered using Avatar’s motion-capture technology has allowed researchers to develop artificial intelligence that can analyze patient’s body movements.
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Tests conducted using the new technology have allowed UK-based researchers to measure the severity of two different genetic disorders twice as fast as the leading doctors.
In a report published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers have also projected that the technology could reduce time and money required to develop new drugs and run important clinical trials.
Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health researcher Dr. Valeria Ricotti told BBC News that she was “completely blown away by the results” of the research.
“The impact on diagnosis and developing new drugs for a wide range of diseases could be absolutely massive.”
According to Dr. Ricotti, she has been working to develop the new disease tracking technology with a team of researchers working at Imperial College and University College London over the last 10 years.
So far the technology has been tested in two separate studies on patients diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Researchers project that the same technology could prove useful in monitoring the recovery of patients suffering with movement-affecting diseases, such as those involving the brain, nervous system, heart, lungs, and bones, as well as a number of different psychiatric disorders.
Related: James Cameron Suggests New Avatar Sequels Release Dates Could Be Delayed
How Avatar’s Motion Capture Technology Can Drastically Change The Future Of Health Care
20th Century Studios
Unfortunately, prior to the use of Dr. Ricotti’s ground-breaking use of Avatar’s motion capture technology, tracking the severity and progression of motion-related illnesses could take years. This lengthy process included time-consuming clinical research needed to determine the supports and treatments necessary for afflicted patients.
The two studies published by Dr. Ricotti and her team on Thursday have shown that the motion capture technology pioneered and popularized by James Cameron’s Avatar franchise can drastically cut down on the time necessary to reach these conclusions.
Imperial College’s Professor Aldo Faisal was one of the scientists who developed the idea to use the technology for tracking disease progression. Faisal said that the recently released research was an enormous improvement on current approaches.
“Our new approach detects subtle movements that humans can’t pick up on,” he said. “It has the capability to transform clinical trials as well as improve diagnosis and monitoring for patients.”
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