Cystic Fibrosis : playing with the Flutter®
Handling the Flutter® is not an easy exercise... Here is an instrument endowed with several characteristics having quite special functions for which the blower needs to be concentrated. As for a musical instrument, a certain training is necessary, to be able to satisfy to the session objectives. Flower will be able to help you and also to have fun. It allows connecting the Flutter® to a game encouraging
dexterity, concentration and perseverance with the pretext of monitoring the rate of the breathing pulsations transformed for the occasion in a racing car piloting lever.
And after the game, the efforts and progresses are not lost: they can be consulted by yourself or by your medical assistant in the result file which keeps the history of all the breathing outs made during the game.
And after the game, the efforts and progresses are not lost: they can be consulted by yourself or by your medical assistant in the result file which keeps the history of all the breathing outs made during the game.
Flower is the answer
given to this wish
It’s a software which allows the flutter to be used as a racing car engine on a circuit, thanks to a small microphone connected on the sound output of the computer.
The launch of the Flower project in November 2005 or the received request of a mother searching for a solution allowing the possibility to offer sick children more pleasant care
“For those who like to search”
<< Cystic fibrosis ?
I am the mother of a child struck by cystic fibrosis and twice a day he has to make his respiratory physiotherapy. In order to make those sessions more pleasant, I am looking for alternatives. The project would consist in linking the Flutter ® device that he uses to - clear his lungs - to a game console. In short, the Flutter ® is a small pipe-shaped device. The principle of the flutter is that somebody blows on a ball giving a resistance. The movement of pressure produces vibrations on the bronchi, which might cause the loosening of mucus.
Consequently, one should find an activity taking all or some of these parameters into consideration.
Have you got any suggestions? Or could you put to me in touch with people who might be interested in this kind of research?
Please let me know what you think of all this. I'm looking forward to hear from you soon...>>
The game
The pilot visualizes in real time the power rate of his engine and its running time.
Between each lap of the race, the pilot
visualizes his race on the circuit and if
he succeeded in overtaking another car.
visualizes his race on the circuit and if
he succeeded in overtaking another car.
At the end of the race, the pilot visualizes the totality of his performance and can save his score.
If you have any initiative likely to make Flower progress in order to help the cystic fibrosis cause, please feel free to let us know : from your mere suggestions to the full re-handling of the system: students’ practice work, ideas of genius of data processing, knowledge of medical assistant, doctors, physiotherapists, engineers, researchers of any kind, internet web sites translators, forum moderators, and... all the others!
For the programmers: the source codes of the program are available; please fill the form.
So far, source codes are in MATLAB language, and the useable version of the program is a small executable file (~6 MB) but requiring the preliminary set-up of runtime MATLAB (~146 MB). A call is launched to any person who would be able to translate code MATLAB into a standard language VisualBasic, C++...
Practical aspects, methods and aims
Flower is a free software, that must be within easy reach and displayed without any restriction to everyone who needs it. Good willingly built with the available means , Flower as a first version, has both defects and qualities of a first version intended to be updated.
Using Flower requires people to be equipped with a computer and a sound card as well as a microphone costing only a few $.
To download the software and to read information concerning the microphone, click on the link Instructions.
Regarding the assistance to the
handling of the Flutter®
handling of the Flutter®
Selection of the reference working frequency of the Flutter® with the help of a medical person.
Holding time objectives of reference working frequency of the Flutter® at each breathing out.
Help to the breathing out and the holding of the Flutter® control in hand.
Interlude during the resting time allowing to appreciate the result of the breathing out with increase in value in case the reference time is exceeded...
Filing of the care statistics.
Furthermore, the assistant also
indicates how long the engine would
need to run under full power for each
lap of the race as it goes on.
indicates how long the engine would
need to run under full power for each
lap of the race as it goes on.
Prior to the race, the pilot chooses
with his assistant the best engine
power rate for the race with which
the car will go the faster
with his assistant the best engine
power rate for the race with which
the car will go the faster