Motion AI Tech From The Film 'Avatar' Being Used To Track Rare Diseases

Motion technology used in the hit film series Avatar is being used to detect rare diseases. Using motion capture artificial intelligence technology, researchers are tracking the onset of diseases which affect movement, BBC reported on Sunday.

The new system that was used in the film Avatar uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse body movements. It can also reportedly diagnose diseases twice as quickly as doctors, the report adds.

Dr. Valeria Ricotti, part of the team working on using these tools for disease detection told BBC that she was "completely blown away by the results."

"The impact on diagnosis and developing new drugs for a wide range of diseases could be absolutely massive," she added.

20th Century Studios

Tracking rare diseases through Avatar tech

The system has reportedly been in development for 10 years and has been tested on patients with Friedreich's ataxia (FA) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in two separate studies.

According to Aldo Faisal, a professor at Imperial College and one of the key scientists behind the idea, said that it has numerous benefits over traditional diagnostics methods.

THOMAS ANGUS/IMPERIAL COLLEGE/BBC

"Our new approach detects subtle movements that humans can't pick up on," he said. "It has the capability to transform clinical trials as well as improve diagnosis and monitoring for patients."

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Scientists also think that Avatar's technology may be used to speed up drug trials and also lower their costs. "The main beneficiary from our research is going to be patients, because the technology is going to be able to come up with new treatments much more quickly," said Professor Richard Festenstein from the Medical Research Council's London Institute of Medical Sciences.

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Owing to its predictive capabilities, the system is able to make advanced observations. When researchers at Imperial College tested on it patients with FA, they found that it could predict the worsening of the disease over twelve months.

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Another test done by Great Ormond Street team (on 21 boys with DMD) found that the system was able to predict how their movement would be affected in the six months to follow more accurately than a doctor.

Diseases like FA and DMD do not have a cure, making early diagnosis crucial for care. Those suffering from genetic diseases receive treatment through early diagnosis.

What do you think about using Avatar's technology to track diseases? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Ghosh, B. P. (2023, January 22). Motion capture tech from Avatar films used in disease research. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64326125

Papadopoulos, L. (2023, January 22). Researchers use AvatarĄ¯s motion AI tech to track rare diseases. https://interestingengineering.com/health/ai-avatar-track-diseases