The Parkinson’s Foundation of Australia (PFA) has developed Keysense, a web-based software tool for home assessment that can be used from your computer to detect early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. The research team, led by Dr. Warwick Adams, developed Keysense, which is backed by artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction.
According to PFA, Keysense works by recording, then analyzing the rhythm and cadence of each keystroke as you type a predetermined set of text. The software is said to be able to detect the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, like bradykinesia, rigidity & tremor as you type the 350-word or 2000-character text Keysense displays. Eleven machine learning models “identify the probabilities of specific movement features being within – or outside – normal expected ranges” while measuring for “inconsistency, drop-off and sidedness of movement and tremor.” Once completed, the results are emailed to the user with a breakdown of the results from your test.
The PFA states the test has been used by more than 40,000 users and has an 90% accuracy of being able to detect early stage Parkinson’s Disease. The results you receive are a comparison between you and a person with and without indications of early Parkinson’s. The Keysense FAQ has a details and what your numerical scores means from the test results; score range, category and level of confidence of the results for people over the age of 55. It is noted that the test results are less accurate for those under 55 due to data limiting factors.
Keysense does not ask or require personal information from the user and is completely anonymous. However, the application is not a substitute for a medical practitioner, and they recommend seeing a doctor if you have concerns about developing Parkinson’s. Keysense is not a medical diagnosis and should not be treated as such.
The results above are from the test I took. While I don’t have anyone I know of in my family with Parkinson’s, the disease itself can occur without a family history, meaning it’s still possible to be at risk even in the absence of known genetic links. A detailed breakdown of the scores can be found here
The Parkinson’s Foundation of Australia is funded by donations from its parent organization, The Sapphire Foundation. The Sapphire Foundation is involved with a range of STEM programs that encourage secondary students to pursue science and technology.
