With the popularity of gesture
controlled devices like the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Kinect and Playstation Move
showing no signs of slowing down, it’s clear that individuals playing games
want to be more physically involved and interact in ways like never before. This
increase in physical activity has helped to break the stigma of some games
turning us into “couch potatoes” but is there more of a therapeutic benefit to
this type of interaction? I believe there is.
Many assisted living homes across
North America have already adopted programs which utilize the Nintendo Wii to
increase physical activity amongst the seniors’ population. This has not only
shown improved vitality to those involved, but also their quality of life
radically improves in most cases. As a person with a physical disability myself
(Cerebral Palsy or CP) and a former game industry employee, video games have
always intrigued me, namely for two reasons. The first is because I could have
powers and abilities far beyond my own. The second is because I could use my
existing abilities, and in my case, increase my fine motor functions through
repetitive actions. This is something
that both my physiotherapist and occupational therapist had taught me over the
years. The more I train myself to do daily processes like tie my shoes or do up
buttons, the easier it would be, and yet, it was still never as fun as when I
was engaging similar muscle groups in a gaming environment.
Throughout my time in the game
industry, I often wondered why software developers didn’t capitalize on the
therapeutic benefits of games, but if I could just show them, perhaps they
would see things in a new light? By a chance encounter in August of 2012, I was
able to do just that. That August, I had come across Reality Controls, a
software development company based locally out of Vancouver, Canada. What
started out as a simple review of their software for AbleGamers.com (a charity which has game reviews for persons
with a disability), turned into so much more. I recognized that the software
they were developing could be used in therapy and rehabilitation, and as a
result, I was brought on as their Director of Communications to help realize
this vision.
One of our projects is called
control:mapper. Control:mapper enables a person with limited mobility to create
custom templates for mapping their natural body motions and verbal input to any
arrangement of keyboard and mouse commands needed for their favorite Windows
software. This software would serve as the perfect framework to cater to
individuals with a plethora of varying abilities. One such individual was
Darrell Wyatt. Like me, Darrell has CP, and after sitting down for only a few
minutes with control:mapper to control a game, he had this to say:
“It's more interactive...actually being able
to do the movements and make your characters move and do whatever is involved
in the game, at least for me, would give me a whole different feel like I'm
actually a part of the game. It’s not just a game; you ACTUALLY have to do
something. This would be a way to get exercise that I don't normally get.”
This proved that we could truly impact
a lot of people, but now, how were we going to reach them all? In order to do
that, we looked into the area of telerehabilitation. We’ve made big strides in
this arena, and our work has helped to enhance accessibility and rehabilitation
to make a mark on Vancouver’s tech scene.
At the 2013 Vancouver Mini Maker
Faire, we illustrated how this is possible, with two networked Kinect
workstations enabling individuals to interact in an immersive environment. This
is a simple example to show how a client and their therapist interact, using
virtual avatars to track the clients’ progress, regardless of where they were
physically located. Not only would this be ideal for individuals in rural
communities, it will support ongoing care for
clients who have undergone a stroke or spinal cord injury, without the
need to physically travel to a facility for every rehabilitation session.
We’ve had the opportunity to work with
the University of British Columbia (UBC) on a project called “FEATHERS” (Functional
Engagement in Assisted Therapy through Exercise Robotics.) The aim of the FEATHERS
project is to help motivate children/adolescents and adults who have had a
stroke (or other upper extremity limitations such as Cerebral Palsy) to
continue with an exercise program by using social media and online games and
robotic interfaces. Having personally gone through 18 years of physical
therapy, I know how beneficial it would have been to have a fun and engaging
application, which enhanced my therapy sessions. At the same time, my physiotherapist
would have loved the tangible results, to track my progress.
This is only the beginning for where we
envision Reality Controls is going. We imagine a world where clients don’t have
to go into their therapists’ office each visit to get their progress results,
but instead, can do their assigned program from the comfort of their own home
and have their practitioner monitor these results remotely. Furthermore, with
the Kinect 2.0 for Windows coming in 2014 and rumored to be able to pick up not
only macro-motions (e.g. arm and leg joints) but also micro-motions (e.g.
finger and eye movements) along with voice-control, we’ll be able to reach and
support more individuals regardless of their abilities.
By building strong
relationships with some of today’s leading educators and healthcare providers,
we feel it is only a matter of time before this is not just a possibility, but
a reality.
-Submitted by Marco Pasqua, Reality Controls
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