MaLT - combined motor and language therapy tool for brain injury patients using Kinect

Background: The functional connectivity and structural proximity of elements of the language and motor systems result in frequent co-morbidity post brain injury. Although rehabilitation services are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary and "integrated", treatment for language and motor functions often occurs in isolation. Thus, behavioural therapies which promote neural reorganisation do not reflect the high intersystem connectivity of the neurologically intact brain. As such, there is a pressing need for rehabilitation tools which better reflect and target the impaired cognitive networks. Objectives: The objective of this research is to develop a combined high dosage therapy tool for language and motor rehabilitation. The rehabilitation therapy tool developed, MaLT (Motor and Language Therapy), comprises a suite of computer games targeting both language and motor therapy that use the Kinect sensor as an interaction device. The games developed are intended for use in the home environment over prolonged periods of time. In order to track patients' engagement with the games and their rehabilitation progress, the game records patient performance data for the therapist to interrogate. Methods: MaLT incorporates Kinect-based games, a database of objects and language parameters, and a reporting tool for therapists. Games have been developed that target four major language therapy tasks involving single word comprehension, initial phoneme identification, rhyme identification and a naming task. These tasks have 8 levels each increasing in difficulty. A database of 750 objects is used to programmatically generate appropriate questions for the game, providing both targeted therapy and unique gameplay every time. The design of the games has been informed by therapists and by discussions with a Public Patient Involvement (PPI) group. Results: Pilot MaLT trials have been conducted with three stroke survivors for the duration of 6 to 8 weeks. Patients' performance is monitored through MaLT's reporting facility presented as graphs plotted from patient game data. Performance indicators include reaction time, accuracy, number of incorrect responses and hand use. The resultant games have also been tested by the PPI with a positive response and further suggestions for future modifications made. Conclusion: MaLT provides a tool that innovatively combines motor and language therapy for high dosage rehabilitation in the home. It has demonstrated that motion sensor technology can be successfully combined with a language therapy task to target both upper limb and linguistic impairment in patients following brain injury. The initial studies on stroke survivors have demonstrated that the combined therapy approach is viable and the outputs of this study will inform planned larger scale future trials

interactive Islamic Prayer (iIP)

The implementation of Virtual Environments has often been used within the educational domain. This study adopts a Virtual Environment (VE) setting to enhance and develop the physical aspects of teaching the Islamic prayer to primary school children, in comparison to traditional forms of teaching through a prayer book and prayer video. An interactive teaching Software, the interactive Islamic Prayer (iIP), was designed and developed for this purpose and uses technology by Microsoft’s Microsoft Kinect 360 for Windows to demonstrate the various movements of the prayer in sequence. Through the administration of a number of questionnaires, a quantitative analysis of the participants’ learning experience were identified, as well as details over which approach the participants preferred. The questionnaires also provided a detailed insight into six areas of study from the learners’ perspective when using the various learning approaches: comprehension, learning experience, interaction, satisfaction, usability and achievement. The results revealed a higher degree of interaction within the lesson on prayer when using the iIP compared to the traditional teaching methods, and although some were unfamiliar with using the Microsoft Kinect 360, on the whole, they found it to be fun and educational. The findings also showed that the software was able to focus on lower level thinking skills, such as recalling information and memory, as a test of the students’ knowledge on the prayer before and after using the software showed a significant improvement in comparison to the other approaches. Recommendations have been given on how to effectively implement this software within these relevant classrooms

Prescription software for recovery and rehabilitation using Microsoft Kinect

Brain injuries, including stroke, can be debilitating incidents with potential for severe long term effects; many people stop making significant progress once leaving in-patient medical care and are unable to fully restore their quality of life when returning home. The aim of this collaborative project, between the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Reading, is to provide a low cost portable system that supports a patient's condition and their recovery in hospital or at home. This is done by providing engaging applications with targeted gameplay that is individually tailored to the rehabilitation of the patient's symptoms. The applications are capable of real-time data capture and analysis in order to provide information to therapists on patient progress and to further improve the personalized care that an individual can receive

ARCH 14 - International Conference on Research on Health Care Architecture - November 19-21, 2014, Espoo, Finland - Conference Proceedings

Healthcare Architecture has grown rapidly in recent years. However, there are still many questions remaining. The commission, therefore, is to share the existing research knowledge and latest results and to carry out research projects focusing more specifically on the health care situation in a variety of contexts. The ARCH14 conference was the third conference in the series of ARCH conferences on Research on Health Care Architecture initiated by Chalmers University. It was realized in collaboration with the Nordic Research Network for Healthcare Architecture .It was a joint event between Aalto University, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) and National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL International).The conference gathered together more than 70 researchers and practitioners from across disciplines and countries to discuss the current themes