Today smart phones can be invaluable to a person with a long term condition, with the ability to call a friend for help, to set a reminder to take medications, or to track metrics with an app. Unfortunately many with Parkinson’s disease find the usability of smart phones to be poor, given the associated tremors, leaving them potentially excluded from these benefits.

The new Google glasses are only available within the US, but Google have donated 5 pairs to Newcastle University to trial with people with Parkinson’s disease, to help improve their independence.

The focus is on Parkinson’s disease given than Google glasses are essentially a hands-free smart phone, operated by voice instead of touch, overcoming the barrier usually experienced with smart phones.

The glasses provide discreet prompts which are useful to those with the disease, such as medication reminders, and reminding the individual to swallow. In the event of needing assistant, such as a fall, users in the trial have found Google glasses to be invaluable since they can make a telephone call, and identify their location via voice command.

Researchers are also looking in to how Google glasses can help to unlock the brain when it freezes, a common phenomenon causing the legs to freeze in certain situations. This can occur for example when the space in front of you narrows, such as facing a door way. Google glasses could be used to help create a point beyond the space to fix upon, preventing a freeze.

For a technology that was seemingly developed for the technology conscious, this a great new avenue for Google glasses if it can help people to take a better control of their condition.

Faye Prior (Researcher)

Source

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/google-glass-puts-the-focus-on-parkinson-s