Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Publication
    Therapeutic exergaming
    Exercise therapy is prescribed by physiotherapists and rehabilitation practitioners as part of the treatment programme for many movement impairment disorders. Poor adherence and inadequate exercise technique often result in poor outcomes for these patients and delays their return to full physical function. Therapeutic exergaming, which is the use of computer games and body-worn motion tracking sensors to teach therapeutic exercise programmes to patients, may offer solutions to these problems. In this paper we describe one such system, known as FlyFit, which offers a sensor-driven flight game environment that allows physiotherapists to intuitively design game levels that will induce patients to correctly carry out their exercises programme. A four-week pilot study to investigate the training effect of the system compared to a conventional exercise training approach is described. Results suggest these exergaming systems may induce improvements in balance and strength similar to the conventional programme along with increased levels of intrinsic motivation but further research is warranted.
      1539Scopus© Citations 10
  • Publication
    A virtual rehabilitation system for wobble board balance training with children
    Virtual reality-based computer games may be a useful way to develop motor skills and increase activity levels in children. We have developed an interactive computer platform where users must tilt a wobble board to complete on-screen computer game tasks. We have conducted a pilot study with 81 school children who played the game and used a questionnaire to gather information on children’s enjoyment levels and perceptions of the system. Findings showed a high level of enjoyment with the game and provided useful information for future research and development.
      450Scopus© Citations 1
  • Publication
    A comparison of a computer game-based exercise system with conventional approaches of exercise therapy in rheumatology patients
    There is a need to increase long-term exercise compliance amongst rheumatology patients to improve symptoms and quality of life. Exergaming systems, (computer video-game based exercise) could provide these patients with a motivating exercise tool to achieve such. This study aimed to compare the subjective reports of a group of rheumatology patients who exercised with an exergaming system to the reports of a similar group who performed the conventional, equivalent form of exercise, without the exergaming system.
      258
  • Publication
    Development and user evaluation of a virtual rehabilitation system for wobble board balance training
    We have developed a prototype virtual reality based balance training system using a single inertial orientation sensor attached to the upper surface of a wobble board. This input device has been interfaced with an open source computer game known as Neverball. Users can exercise with the system by standing on the wobble board and tilting it to control an on-screen environment. To evaluate the usability our prototype system we undertook a user evaluation study on twelve healthy novice participants. Participants were required to set up the system using an instruction manual and then perform balance exercises with the system. Following this period of exercise a post hoc usability evaluation questionnaire know as VRUSE was completed by participants. Results indicated a high level of usability in all categories evaluated.
    Scopus© Citations 25  2955
  • Publication
    Lower body reaction testing using ultrasonic motion capture
    This paper presents a lower body reaction test that utilizes a new portable ultra-sound based motion capture system (MobiFit) combined with a synchronized visual stimulus. This novel system was tested first for criterion validity and agreement against a gold standard laboratory based optical motion capture system (CODA). It was subsequently tested in the field during Gaelic football (GAA) team gym sessions with 35 subjects to demonstrate its utility and versatility. The lower body reaction test itself is novel in that it can be applied to a gross motor task. During testing, participants had sensors attached to their lower limbs and trunk. The speed of movement for each sensor was monitored at 500Hz using the Mobifit motion capture system, and reaction time was measured as the elapsed time from the appearance of a green indicator on the screen to a sensor reaching a set threshold velocity as the participant raised the corresponding leg. Pearson's correlation coefficient tested criterion validity against the CODA system and Intra class correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots assessed agreement of velocity measures obtained from the MobiFit and CODA systems. Results indicate that the MobiFit system is an accurate device to assess lower body reaction time and has advantage over standard laboratory measures in terms of portability and ease of set-up.
      522