Development of a 3D Immersive Videogame to Improve Arm-Postural Coordination in Patients With TBI
By Ustinova, Ksenia I.; Leonard, Wesley A.; Cassavaugh, Nicholas D.; Ingersoll, Christopher D.; Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Volume 8, Number 61Publication Date: October 31, 2011
Paper outlines the development of a customized three dimensional (3D) videogame for use by patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Called Octopus, the game focuses on training arm-postural coordination and includes tasks calibrated according to the user’s anatomical features and movement abilities. Octopus was developed using WorldViz Vizard software integrated with the Qualisys system for motion analysis. The game is designed to challenge postural stability while reaching to intercept a moving target. In the gaming scenario, all actions occur in an underwater world populated with seaweeds and coral. The main character, Octopus, is located in the middle of the screen. The feasibility of the game was tested with 6 men and 7 women with a mean age of 32 years and chronic mild to moderate manifestations of TBI. Avatars of participants’ hands precisely reproducing the real time kinematic patterns were synchronized with the simulated environment, presented in the first person 3D view on an 82 inch digital light processing (DLP) screen. While standing in front of the screen, participants interacted with the computer generated environment by popping bubbles blown by Octopus that were following a specific trajectory. Interception of the bubbles with the left or right hand avatar allowed flexible use of the postural segments for balance maintenance and arm support. Participants practiced ten 90 second gaming trials during a single session, followed by a retention test. Arm-postural coordination was analyzed using principal component analysis. Following practice, participants improved in game performance, arm movement time, and precision. Improvements were achieved mostly by adapting efficient arm-postural coordination strategies. Of the 13 participants, 10 showed an immediate increase in arm forward reach and single leg stance time.
Published by: BioMed Central Ltd (Website:http://www.biomedcentral.com)
Link to text: http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/pdf/1743-0003-8-61.pdf
