I routinely work out at the gym. Usually, this involves a combination of lifting weights, cardio and stretching. In my stretching, I'm usually doing some foam rolling to do that whole "myofascial release" thing. Unfortunately, my aging body doesn't always cooperate with whatever mix of activities I've recently subjected it to. I have one on-going issue and one new one.
The ongoing issue is in my shoulders. They apparently loose. Not morally, but in the sense that they are not quite firmly in the socket so there is more motion than would otherwise be ideal. I was told by a doctor that its likely genetic and the only real solution for it is surgery (with a reasonably long recovery cycle). And as a result of being loose, they hurt if I do too much chest or shoulder lifting.
The new problem is my left leg. Its not quite my knee, but behind my knee. As in, I can barely do child's pose without it hurting badly.As I laid there on the mat this morning, I thought to myself, "Why can't I just map my ligaments with a 3D probe and figure out if there is some tendonitis and then do the right therapy from there?" I can't, because as far as I know, nobody has tried to put something together to do this.
So here is a proposal:
- A USB-powered wand-like device similar to that of the BodyMetrix Personal Ultrasound Body Composition tool.
- iPad or Android tablet as key interface
- Priced at USD 200
- Provides a 2D image to the user in real time
- More importantly, builds a 3D model of the body tissue while the user moves it around slowly (auditory feedback indicating ideal speed)
- Potentially use two wands, though this does get a bit tricky for the operator
- Exportable 3D model to other programs.
- Tracking/automatic measurement on various body parts:
- Body fat (like the BodyMetrix). This is typically take based on body measurements at various points in the body (lower back, thigh)
- Muscle size
- Tendon / ligament size
- Belly
- UI will be key: this tool would need to have a fantastic approach to capturing the information and then making it meaningful to the user.
Ideally, I could have done this first when I was the model of good health. Then, when I'm in pain in some part of my body, scan it and compare the current results / sizing of everything and determine if everything is all right or I'm just being a wimp. While the latter is likely, I'd rather not be pushing myself when I shouldn't be. As I get older, pain seems to be a less reliable indicator of when I should stop.
Is this really that hard? Ultrasounds are used beyond the womb. See here and here and here and here, some of it getting into cool stuff like finding blockages in arteries or mapping blood flow using the Dopler shift from the moving fluid. It all seems focused on 2D mapping and snapshots. Why not go for the 3D that people can understand. Frankly, when I went to my wife's ultrasound appointments, I only saw random black and white noisiness. Nothing that looked like a baby. The technician saw much more, but still had to manually measure the femur and a few other spots to accurately determine the size of the baby. All of that seems ripe for automation and no need for a technician. Put the woman in the room with a tub of gel and a wand and tell here to move it around until the system tells her she's done.
Fun side project. Swallow a penny - and watch it go down through the system :) OK, maybe this is a little gross. But instead of a penny, use something else that isn't so gross. And let people track it through their digestive cycle. I don't know why that seems cool to me, but it does. You know you've heard that story of a kid swallowing a GI Joe hand . . .
BTW: I fully understand that we have a set of people working at the FDA that can barely put their pants on in the morning. This project would be "for entertainment only" and would be designed for pets. Or something like that. It seems like it would be the death of this idea if it had to be approved.
Am I missing something? Does this already exist? Let me know in the comments!
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