While the incidence of stroke rises worldwide, so do the costs of the subsequent intensive rehabilitation, setting off alarm bells that call for solutions to lower figures while preserving therapy efficacy. At-home autonomous rehabilitation appears as a promising solution, reducing costs for health providers and patients alike. The trend of exergaming,i.e. exercising through videogames, may represent the key to its success. However, rehabilitation at home demands careful consideration, as all the requirements of a correct rehabilitation therapy must be addressed even in the absence of a therapist. The aim of this research is to study the feasibility of at-home autonomous rehabilitation through exergaming. To do so, we explore the state-of-the-art of the exergaming field and devise guidelines to design effective and motivating exergames. We then design and develop a complete game engine that integrates exergames and high-usability interfaces with autonomous supervision enabled by computational intelligence, which includes on-line monitoring, on-line adaptation, clear feedback, and long-term motivational mechanisms, also supporting asynchronous configuration and assessment by a remote therapist. We follow our guidelines to develop a set of nine gamesforpostureandbalancerehabilitationofpost-strokeelderlypatients. We conclude with results from several studies performed using our games, including a three-month pilot test with the complete system, proving the benefits of our solution.
Mentre nel mondo intero l’incidenza dell’ictus cerebrale cresce, i costi relativi al sempre più pressante bisogno di riabilitazione intensiva aumentano a loro volta, facendo suonare un campanello d’allarme alla ricerca di soluzioni per diminuire i costi mantenendo nel frattempo l’efficacia della terapia. La riabilitazione autonoma a domicilio appare una soluzione promettente per ridurre questi costi. Il fenomeno degli exergames, i.e. esercizi attraverso videogiochi, rappresenta possibilmente la chiave per il suo successo. Tuttavia, questa autonomia esige un cauto approccio, in quanto i requisiti per una corretta riabilitazione devono essere soddisfatti anche in assenza del terapista. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è lo studio della fattibilità della riabilitazione autonoma a domicilio attraverso exergames. Per far ciò, esploriamo lo stato dell’arte riguardante gli exergames e così ideiamo linee guida atte allo sviluppo di exergames efficaci e motivanti. Progettiamo e sviluppiamo un completo game engine che integra exergames ed interfacce ad alta usabilità con la supervisione autonoma del paziente, comprendente monitoraggio e adattamento in tempo reale, feedback chiaro ed immediato e tecniche per la motivazione a lungo termine, tutto ciò reso possibile dall’uso di intelligenza artificiale, supportando anche la configurazione e validazione effettuate da un terapista in remoto. Seguendo le nostre linee guida, creiamo nove giochi per la riabilitazione della postura e dell’equilibrio di pazienti anziani postictus. Concludiamo con risultati riguardanti diversi studi condotti usando i nostri giochi, tra i quali uno studio pilota di tre mesi, i quali dimostrano i benefici della nostra soluzione.
The design of exergaming systems for autonomous rehabilitation
PIROVANO, MICHELE
Abstract
While the incidence of stroke rises worldwide, so do the costs of the subsequent intensive rehabilitation, setting off alarm bells that call for solutions to lower figures while preserving therapy efficacy. At-home autonomous rehabilitation appears as a promising solution, reducing costs for health providers and patients alike. The trend of exergaming,i.e. exercising through videogames, may represent the key to its success. However, rehabilitation at home demands careful consideration, as all the requirements of a correct rehabilitation therapy must be addressed even in the absence of a therapist. The aim of this research is to study the feasibility of at-home autonomous rehabilitation through exergaming. To do so, we explore the state-of-the-art of the exergaming field and devise guidelines to design effective and motivating exergames. We then design and develop a complete game engine that integrates exergames and high-usability interfaces with autonomous supervision enabled by computational intelligence, which includes on-line monitoring, on-line adaptation, clear feedback, and long-term motivational mechanisms, also supporting asynchronous configuration and assessment by a remote therapist. We follow our guidelines to develop a set of nine gamesforpostureandbalancerehabilitationofpost-strokeelderlypatients. We conclude with results from several studies performed using our games, including a three-month pilot test with the complete system, proving the benefits of our solution.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/108826