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Avatar saves lives - 6th February 2023

Avatar, the blockbuster film, uses motion capture technology. This same technology is now helping doctors to identify genetic diseases early.

Experts recently studied the use of motion capture on patients. The patients wore sensors on their bodies and a computer tracked the movements. A special computer program assessed them and was able to tell how a condition would affect a patient in the future.

Professor Aldo Faisal of Imperial College, London explained the significance. He said it notices tiny movements which the human eye can’t see.

Patients can be diagnosed two times faster using this new technology and Doctor Valeria Ricotti said she was "completely blown away by the results". Patients with diseases related to movement, for example Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) were tested.

These genetic diseases are uncommon. One in 50,000 people suffer from symptoms of FA which usually appear during adolescence. Around the world there are just 20,000 cases of DMD, mostly in male children. There's no cure for either.

The hope is that the pharmaceutical industry will decide to invest in motion capture technology. However, only 1 in 17 people have a rare genetic disorder, which means they may not see it as a profitable investment.

There are advantages to using motion sensor technology, above all, the improved treatment for patients who are diagnosed early.

The future is bright if research continues and the technology is approved. For now more information is being collected on its use with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.