Midland High School seniors Lauren McGuirk, Elliana Rinn and Allison Scheffer developed a virtual reality program intended to address obstacles faced by Parkinson’s Disease patients when they seek treatment.
Now, the students are in the outreach phase to make their creation a reality.
“We believe that this app could really change the world, so we need to do something about that,” McGuirk said in reference to the funding opportunities that the students explored for the app.
The team developed a virtual reality program, called Virtual Motion Therapy, that presents a gamified form of physical therapy intended to address obstacles Parkinson’s Disease patients face when seeking treatment, including personal motivation, accessibility of physical therapy options and cost of treatment. The Midland High students presented a video of gameplay before the Midland Public Schools board on Monday.
Their innovation led to Midland High winning the AH Nickless Innovation Award competition for the fourth-straight year. The students focused on removing barriers to increase access to care based on care and costs, with a focus on a portable, at-home option.
The prize was partly a $20,000 STEM scholarship, which has helped fund student and faculty needs, such as equipment for chemistry labs at Midland High School. Each student won a scholarship of $5,000 for post-graduation opportunities.
The team reported there has been an attempt to connect with Parkinson’s foundations and other interested parties, including celebrities Kirk Gibson and Michael J. Fox who are both living with the disease, and Hinge Health, which offers digital “healthcare solutions.”
In October 2017, McGuirk’s grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease; he has since died.
School Board President Scott McFarland asked who had the rights to the app’s intellectual properties during the Monday board meeting. Teacher and team coach Bob Fox said the team has copyright opportunities that were made available through the innovation award program.
Fox said the three students have been developing the project for more than a calendar year.
The full presentation by the board can be found on YouTubevisit the Midland Public Schools page for a playback of Monday’s meeting.
