Design an engaging interactive experience for people with dementia

The population of the world is increasing resulting in a higher number of people dealing with dementia–whether being diagnosed with it or taking care of someone that is diagnosed with it. This master thesis aims to investigate which types of multi-media technology-based experiences can improve the quality of life for people with dementia. To reach the goal of the thesis–investigation will be done through different iterations of a design method; divergence, transformation and convergence. These iterations will include observations, interviews and using personas as a tool to design. The results from the methods were used to create a high fidelity prototype which was evaluated by an expert in the field of dementia

In-home and remote use of robotic body surrogates by people with profound motor deficits

By controlling robots comparable to the human body, people with profound motor deficits could potentially perform a variety of physical tasks for themselves, improving their quality of life. The extent to which this is achievable has been unclear due to the lack of suitable interfaces by which to control robotic body surrogates and a dearth of studies involving substantial numbers of people with profound motor deficits. We developed a novel, web-based augmented reality interface that enables people with profound motor deficits to remotely control a PR2 mobile manipulator from Willow Garage, which is a human-scale, wheeled robot with two arms. We then conducted two studies to investigate the use of robotic body surrogates. In the first study, 15 novice users with profound motor deficits from across the United States controlled a PR2 in Atlanta, GA to perform a modified Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and a simulated self-care task. Participants achieved clinically meaningful improvements on the ARAT and 12 of 15 participants (80%) successfully completed the simulated self-care task. Participants agreed that the robotic system was easy to use, was useful, and would provide a meaningful improvement in their lives. In the second study, one expert user with profound motor deficits had free use of a PR2 in his home for seven days. He performed a variety of self-care and household tasks, and also used the robot in novel ways. Taking both studies together, our results suggest that people with profound motor deficits can improve their quality of life using robotic body surrogates, and that they can gain benefit with only low-level robot autonomy and without invasive interfaces. However, methods to reduce the rate of errors and increase operational speed merit further investigation.Comment: 43 Pages, 13 Figure

Elements: the design of an interactive virtual environment for movement rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury patients

This exegesis details the development of an interactive art work titled Elements designed to assist upper limb movement rehabilitation for patients recovering from traumatic brain injury. Enhancing physical rehabilitative processes in the early stages following a brain injury is one of the great challenges facing therapists. Elements enables physical user interaction that may present new opportunities for treatment. One of the key problems identified in the neuro-scientific field is that developers of interactive computer systems for movement rehabilitation are often constrained to the use of conventional desktop interfaces. These interfaces often fall short of fostering natural user interaction that translates into the relearning of body movement for patients, particularly in ways that reinforce the embodied relationship between the sensory world of the human body and the predictable effects of bodily movement in relation to the surrounding environment. Interactive multimedia environments that can correlate a patient’s sense of embodiment may assist in the acquisition of movement skills that transfer to the real world. The central theme of my exegesis will address these concerns by analysing contemporary theories of embodied interaction as a foundation to design Elements. Designing interactive computer environments for traumatic brain injured patients is, however, a challenging issue. Patients frequently exhibit impaired upper limb function which severely affects activities for daily living and self-care. Elements responds to this level of disability by providing the patient with an intuitive tabletop computer environment that affords basic gestural control. As part of a multidisciplinary project team, I designed the user interfaces, interactive multimedia environments, and audiovisual feedback (visual, haptic and auditory) used to help the patients relearn movement skills. The physical design of the Elements environment consists of a horizontal tabletop graphics display, a stereoscopic computer video tracking system, tangible user interfaces, and a suite of seven interactive software applications. Each application provides the patients with a task geared toward the patient reaching, grasping, lifting, moving, and placing the tangible user interfaces on the display. Audiovisual computer feedback is used by patients to refine their movements online and over time. Patients can manipulate the feedback to create unique aesthetic outcomes in real time. The system design provides tactility, texture, and audiovisual feedback to entice patients to explore their own movement capabilities in externally directed and self-directed ways. This exegesis contributes to the larger research agenda of embodied interaction. My original contribution to knowledge is Elements, an interactive artwork that may enable patients to relearn movement skills, raise their level of self-esteem, sense of achievement, and behavioural skill

SUPPORTING THERAPY-CENTERED GAME DESIGN FOR BRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION

Brain injuries (BI) are a major public health issue. Many therapists who work with patients who have had a BI include games to ameliorate boredom associated with repetitive rehabilitation. However, designing effective, appropriate, and engaging games for BI therapy is challenging. The challenge is especially manifested when considering how to consolidate the different mindsets and motivations among key stakeholders; i.e., game designers and therapists. In this dissertation, I investigated the ideation, creation, and evaluation of game design patterns and a design tool, GaPBIT (Game Design Patterns for BI Therapy) that leveraged patterns to support ideation of BI therapy game concepts and facilitate communication among designers and therapists. Design patterns, originated from the work of Christopher Alexander, provide a common design language in a specific field by documenting reusable design concepts that have successfully solved recurring problems. This investigation involved four overlapping phases. In Phase One, I interviewed 11 professional game designers focused on games for health (serious games embedded with health-related goals) to explore how they perceived and approached their work. In Phase Two, I identified 25 therapy-centered game design patterns through analyzing data about game use in BI therapy. Based on those patterns, in Phase Three I created and iterated the GaPBIT prototype through user studies. In Phase Four, I conducted quasi-experimental case studies to establish the efficacy and user experience of GaPBIT in game design workshops that involved both game designers and therapists. During the design workshops, the design patterns and GaPBIT supported exploration of game design ideas and effectively facilitated discussion among designers and therapists. The results also indicated that these tools were especially beneficial for novice game designers. This work significantly promotes game design for BI rehabilitation by providing designers and therapists with easier access to the information about requirements in rehabilitation games. Additionally, this work modeled a novel research methodology for investigating domains where balancing the role of designers and other stakeholders is particularly important. Through a “practitioner-centered” process, this work also provides an exemplar of investigating technologies that directly address the information needs of professional practitioners

Elements virtual rehabilitation improves motor, cognitive, and functional outcomes in adult stroke: Evidence from a randomized controlled pilot study

Background Virtual reality technologies show potential as effective rehabilitation tools following neuro-trauma. In particular, the Elements system, involving customized surface computing and tangible interfaces, produces strong treatment effects for upper-limb and cognitive function following traumatic brain injury. The present study evaluated the efficacy of Elements as a virtual rehabilitation approach for stroke survivors. Methods Twenty-one adults (4294 years old) with sub-acute stroke were randomized to four weeks of Elements virtual rehabilitation (three weekly 3040 min sessions) combined with treatment as usual (conventional occupational and physiotherapy) or to treatment as usual alone. Upper-limb skill (Box and Blocks Test), cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment and selected CogState subtests), and everyday participation (Neurobehavioral Functioning Inventory) were examined before and after inpatient training, and one-month later. Results Effect sizes for the experimental group (d = 1.052.51) were larger compared with controls (d = 0.110.86), with Elements training showing statistically greater improvements in motor function of the most affected hand (p = 0.008), and general intellectual status and executive function (p ≤ 0.001). Proportional recovery was two- to three-fold greater than control participants, with superior transfer to everyday motor, cognitive, and communication behaviors. All gains were maintained at follow-up