ADVISOR
In-theater vestibular function screening
First-level responders can better assess brain injury on the battlefield with the ADVISOR system from Charles River Analytics
More than 194,000 US military personnel have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) since January 2000, according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. The majority of these are mild TBIs, also known as concussions. Early identification and treatment of concussion are essential to optimal recovery. First-level responders, such as medics, must assess concussive symptoms quickly—in combat environments, these often-subtle symptoms are easy to miss or misdiagnose due to a lack of familiarity with the subtleties of impaired vestibular function.
To address this challenge, Charles River Analytics designed and prototyped the ADVISOR (Assessment and Diagnosis of Vestibular Indicators of Soldier Operational Readiness) system. ADVISOR combines different vestibular function screening tests with an emphasis on checking a Soldier for return to duty. We expect the full-scope ADVISOR system to have immediate and tangible benefits for Soldier assessment in operational, training, and garrison environments. It can also benefit emergency response groups.
“Although Soldiers are similar to athletes, guidance designed for sports-related concussion falls short on the battlefield because it doesn’t address the complexities of military demands or the need to make decisions under stressful conditions or while multitasking in extreme environments. ADVISOR’s guidance takes these factors into account.”
— Dr. Phillip Desrochers,
Scientist at Charles River Analytics and Principal Investigator on the ADVISOR effort
Accurately Assessing Return-to-Duty Fitness with ADVISOR
Research that sheds new light on concussive events and mission integrity has moved military leaders to rethink treatment and recovery guidelines for TBI. The military’s decision to revamp TBI protocol will personalize recovery guidelines for Soldiers, as well as update practices heavily reliant on sports-related studies.
The ADVISOR system combines a number of vestibular function screening tests to gather the data necessary to screen Soldiers for fitness to return to duty (RTD).
ADVISOR transforms the current capabilities of medical evaluation for the US military
Charles River’s Oculomotor, Vestibular, and Balance Research Solutions
Our ADVISOR system is currently being designed for the US military to facilitate in theater concussion screening. The underlying technology that drives ADVISOR is now available for commercial purchase for individuals and organizations for research only purposes via our beta user licensing program.
ADVISOR Researcher Kit
Our ADVISOR system combines a number of vestibular function screening tests to gather the data necessary to screen Soldiers for fitness to return to duty (RTD).
ADVISOR’s guidance takes numerous factors into account, such as the need to make decisions under stressful conditions or while multitasking in extreme environments.
Key ADVISOR Researcher Kit features include:
- Supports a readily extensible range of oculomotor and balance-related stimulus-response tasks
- Maximum portability offered via a smartphone application that doubles as the display within a low-cost HMD
- Available for integration within most laboratory computing environments and networked control systems
ADVISOR Sway Referenced Platform
The ADVISOR Sway Referenced Platform (SRP) is our portable evaluation balance platform device that can be used with or without the ADVISOR head-mounted virtual-reality display to conduct balance-related research.
The ADVISOR SRP is designed for use with the AMTI AccuSway optimized dual force plate. The force plate dynamically measures balance and postural shifts, which can be used to drive the SRP to tilt and roll up to 10° in response.
Key ADVISOR SRP features include:
- Portability and USB connectivity
- 2-axis rotation – both tilt and roll
- Multi-axis force sensing with the AMTI
- Designed for the AMTI AccuSway Optimized force plate
- Plug-and-play integration with the ADVISOR Researcher Kit
Contact us to learn more about ADVISOR licensing options and our other health and medical capabilities.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) under Contract No. W81XWH-16-C-0070. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAMRAA.
