Steady Hands - tremor meter

Vilimed

About this app

This is a tool to measure your hand stability

Speedometers measure speed. Thermometers measure temperature. But is there anything that measures hand tremor? Now it is! We present you Steady Hands! App can measure the stability of your hands by objective scientific methods and modern artificial intelligence algorithms.

App is useful for well-being purposes:

• For individuals with Parkinson's disease or Essential tremor, knowing your
hand tremor level can help you better understand and manage your
symptoms. Also you can track your Vilim Ball tremor reduction journey.#Vilimball

• For seniors, knowing your hand stability level can be a helpful indicator of
overall health and wellness.

• For anyone interested in maintaining or improving hand dexterity, tracking
your hand stability can be a useful way to monitor your progress and
identify areas for improvement.

App is also useful for performance purposes:

• For surgeons, knowing your hand stability level can be an important factor
in ensuring the success of your procedures. Surgeons with a higher level of
hand stability may be able to perform delicate operations with greater
precision and control.

• For archers, having a stable hand is crucial for accurately hitting your
target. Knowing your hand stability level can help you identify areas for
improvement and enhance your accuracy and precision.

• In both cases, being able to track and monitor your hand stability over
time can help you identify any changes or improvements and make
adjustments to your technique as needed.

The results are visualized in a graph of six columns where each column is evaluated in the range from 0 (worse) to 10 (perfect).

Measurement methods:

1. Drawing
Drawing is based on a popular Archimedes spiral drawing method that clinicians use to evaluate the severity of patients with neurological conditions. The user‘s task is to trace the spiral with an index finger as closely to the reference as possible. A wobbly line means a stronger tremor, while a smoother line suggests a milder one. Interestingly, the shape of the wobbles gives insights into how similar your tremor is to Parkinson’s disease or the Essential tremor.

2. Picture
The picture approach is analogous to the „Drawing“. However, instead of drawing figures on the screen, you can draw it on a sheet of paper. For a lot of people using a pen feels more natural; therefore, it may be a more suitable solution. The user has to align the phone‘s camera to the drawing and simply press the „photo“ button.
The approach involves complex artificial intelligence algorithms and may be on of our most advanced functions. However, it is still not perfect. To make the most of it you have to make sure that the photo does not contain any unnecessary details, such as palms, paper edges or table textures.

3. Glass
Glass measurement is meant to analyze your postural tremor. This is a type of tremor that occurs when you hold a position against gravity. For example, outstretching the arm in front of you. Interestingly, the tremor severity may be different in a postural position compared to the action position that is encouraged by figure drawing.
This approach asks the user to hold the outstretched arm while holding the phone for 30 seconds. The app uses on-the-phone movement sensors, such as accelerometers, to track the movement and generate the results of the analysis.

4. Tapping
Tapping is a tremor and rigidity measurement approach that is still new in the field. The user is asked to tap the randomly appearing points on the screen as fast as possible. The app then analyses various features, such as tapping speed or accuracy to deliver the analysis.

This is not a medical device and is not intended to perform any operations on medically relevant physiological parameters. Every human contains some kind of health tremor, e.g. physiological tremor, a.k.a. hand shakiness, trembling.

Ratings and reviews

The tapping test has disappeared from my app and I miss it! I use the app for quick comparisons when I'm in a DBS programming session. The tapping is useful to gauge how much I have to concentrate to initiate each touch. When we have the programming in a good place I can tap away with little hesitation. Of course, the drawing is especially helpful to do over and over as we try different settings.

Nice idea, needs better implementation. Lacks instructions. Tests are interesting, but the very detailed results aren't explained. What do numbers mean? What's the purpose of the round checked box? The drawing test lacks an indicator for whether testing left or right hand, which can be done with other tests. (Some people are ambidextrous.) I finally found the history, but it's only for one summary number, not details like frequency or amplitude. Good app, but needs more explanation.

Misjudges healthy people with low scores (tapping) and provides unvalidated responses. Methods seem to have no scientific or medical ground, and appear aimed at purchasing a product. Also, asks for permission to access media and files without explaining why. Although most of the app can work without it, an irritating error message keeps popping up warning the user the app can't be used without it.

What's new

Small fixes and improved performance!