When I was growing
up1, I really liked playing hide-and-seek2 a lot. One time, though3, I thought4 climbing a
tree would lead to a great hiding
spot5, but I fell6
and broke my arm. I actually7
started first grade with a big cast8
all over my torso9.
It was taken off10
six weeks later, but even then, I couldn't extend my elbow11,and I had to do physical therapy to flex
and extend it, 100 times per day, seven days per week. I barely did it12, because I found it boring and painful13, and as a result,
it took me another six weeks to get better.
Many years later, my mom developed frozen shoulder14,
which leads to pain and stiffness15
in the shoulder. The person I believed for half of my life to have superpowers suddenly16 needed
help to get dressed17
or to cut food. She went each week to physical therapy, but just like me, she barely followed18 the
home treatment, and it took her over five months to feel better.
Both my mom and I required physical therapy, a
process of doing a suite19
of repetitive exercises in order to
regain20 the range of movement lost due to21 an accident or injury22. At first, a physical therapist works
with patients, but then it's up to23
the patients to do their exercises at home. But patients find physical therapy
boring, frustrating, confusing and lengthy24
before seeing results. Sadly25,
patient noncompliance27
can be as high as 70 percent. This means the majority of patients don't do
their exercises and therefore27
take a lot longer to get better29.
All physical therapists agree that special exercises reduce the time needed for
recovery, but patients lack29
the motivation to do them. So together with three friends, all of us software geeks30, we
asked ourselves, wouldn't it be interesting if patients could play31 their way to recovery32? We
started building MIRA, A P.C. software platform that uses this Kinect device33, a motion34 capture
camera, to transform traditional exercises into video games.
My physical therapist has already set up a schedule35 for my particular
therapy. Let's see how this looks. The first game asks me to fly a bee36 up and down to gather37 pollen to
deposit in beehives38,
all while avoiding39
the other bugs. I control the bee by doing elbow extension and flexion, just
like when I was seven years old after the cast was taken off.
When designing a game, we speak to physical
therapists at first to understand what movement patients need to do. We then
make that a video game to give patients simple, motivating objectives to
follow. But the software is very customizable40,
and physical therapists can also create their own exercises. Using the
software, my physical therapist recorded herself performing41 a shoulder abduction42, which is one of the
movements my mom had to do when she had frozen shoulder.
I can follow my
therapist's example on the left side of the screen, while on the right, I see
myself doing the recommended movement. I feel more engaged and confident43, as I'm exercising alongside44 my
therapist with the exercises my therapist thinks are best for me. This
basically extends the application for physical therapists to create whatever45 exercises
they think are best.
This is an auction
house46 game for preventing
falls47, designed to strengthen48
muscles and improve balance49.
As a patient, I need to do sit and
stand50 movements, and when I stand up, I bid51 for the items I
want to buy. (Laughter)
In two days, my grandmother will be 82 years old,
and there's a 50 percent chance for people over 80 to fall at least once per year52, which could lead to a broken hip53 or even worse54.
Poor muscle tone55 and impaired balance56
are the number one cause of falls, so reversing these problems through targeted
exercise will help keep older people like my grandmother safer and independent
for longer. When my schedule ends, MIRA briefly shows me how I progressed throughout57 my
session.
Vocabulary
1. growing up = crescendo
2. hide-and-seek = “esconde-esconde”
3. though = contudo
4. thought = pensei, achei
5. hiding spot = esconderijo
6. fell = caí
7. actually = na verdade
8. cast = gesso
9. torso = tórax
10.
taken off =
tirado
11.
elbow =
cotovelo
12.
I barely did it = eu mal conseguia fazer
13.
I found it
boring and painful = eu achava chato e doloroso
14.
frozen shoulder = inflamação do ombro (ombro congelado)
15.
stiffness =
Rigidez
16.
suddenly = de
repente
17.
get dressed =
vestir-se
18.
barely
followed = mal acompanhou
19.
suite =
conjunto
20.
in order to
regain = a fim de recuperar
21.
due to =
devido a
22.
injury = ferimento
23.
up to =
depende de
24.
lengthy =
longo(a)
25.
Sadly =
infelizmente
26.
Noncompliance
= descumprimento
27.
Therefore = portanto
28.
take a lot
longer to get better = leva mais tempo para melhorar
29.
lack =
carecer de
30.
software
geeks = nerds de computadores
31.
play =
jogar,brincar
32.
recovery =
recuperação
33.
device =
dispositivo
34.
motion =
movimento
35.
has already
set up a schedule = já estabeleceu uma agenda
36.
bee = abelha
37.
gather = reunir,
coletar
38.
beehive =
colméias
39.
while
avoiding = enquanto evitando
40.
customizable
= personalizavel
41.
performing =
realizando
42.
shoulder
abduction = entensão do ombro
43.
engaged and
confident = envolvido e confidante
44.
alongside =
ao lado de
45.
whatever = qualquer que, seja o que for
46.
auction house
= casa de leilões
47.
for preventing falls = para prevenir quedas
48.
strengthen =
fortalecer
49.
improve
balance = melhorar o equlibrio
50.
sit and stand
= sentar e levantar
51.
bid = oferecer um lance em um leilão
52.
at least once per year = pelo menos uma vez por ano
53.
broken hip =
quadril quebrado
54.
even worse =
até mesmo pior
55.
muscle tone =
flexão muscular
56.
impaired
balance = diminuição do equilíbrio
57.
throughout =
por todo o(a)