The process consists of two phases. First, surgeons record a 5–8 second video with their mobile phones while they carry out standard Lachman and Pivot-Shift tests on the injured area, on which three circular stickers have been placed. Then, once the video has been uploaded to the application, the movement between the tibia and the femur is calculated using image processing techniques (OpenCV library). In around ten seconds, the app can give a result that helps the doctor to form an objective diagnosis. A brief description can be seen in this video.
The application is available open on Android for Google Play at this link. It was developed jointly with the Catalan Institute of Traumatology and Sports Medicine (ICATME) of the Dexeus University Hospital and the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona. A viability test has been carried out in a sample of seven injured people and the results have been published in scientific journal.
Beyond the analysis of the injured person’s movement, work is being done on a project to develop an application that can predict the range of movement after a knee operation, using biomechanical optimisation and modelling. In the framework of this project, funding was obtained from the Ministry of Science and Innovation in the call “Europe Research 2020”.