Effect of virtual reality exercises on balance and fall in elderly people with fall risk: a randomized controlled trial

Background Deficient balance and fear of falling in elderly people can lead to disturbed daily activities, falling, and finally reduced quality of life. Therefore, evaluation of low-risk methods that might partially improve balance in this group of people is of utmost importance. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) exercises based on Xbox Kinect on balance and fear of falling among elderly people. Methods This clinical trial was performed on 60 elderly individuals living in nursing homes divided into two groups of control and Xbox. The participants in the intervention group received VR exercises based on Xbox Kinect in form of two 30–45-min sessions held on a weekly basis for 6 weeks. The individuals in the control group, on the other hand, received routine exercises of the nursing homes. The research tools used in this study included a demographic questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the Falling Efficacy Scale (FES). Results The findings of the current study demonstrated that the scores of BBS and TUG test as the indices of balance among elderly people improved significantly in the Xbox group after the intervention (p < 0.001 for both BBS and TUG test). Moreover, the score of fear of falling diminished significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion According to the results of the present investigation, 6 weeks of VR balance exercises could enhance balance and fear of falling among elderly people living in nursing homes. Trial registration Code:IRCT20190727044347N1, Date: 17-8-2019.

Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant: a useful clinical tool in paediatric shoulder rehabilitation?

Background/aims Outpatient physical therapy is the mainstay of treatment in shoulder instability, but lack of motivation and intermittent monitoring of progress is associated with poor compliance. ‘Exergames’ (a combination of videogames and physical exercise) may provide an additional or alternative motivational factor. The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of the Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant Xbox Kinect gaming software in the management of adolescent atraumatic shoulder instability. Methods Patients completed six 30-minute sessions playing games using the Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant while participating in a therapy programme. Pain and fatigue questionnaires, functional assessments and a framework analysis of free-text comments were used. Results A total of 20 female patients (15 unilateral, five bilateral pathology, mean age 14.1 years) completed the sessions. An average session length was 10.8 mins (range 0–24 mins). After each session using the Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant, 80% were neither in pain, nor overly tired. At 2 weeks, the Stanmore Percentage of Normal Shoulder Assessment scores had improved by a mean 17.9% and 10 (50%) patients showed improvements in Oxford Shoulder Instability Scores. Overall, 15 participants (75%) liked the technology; however six (32%) preferred standard physiotherapy, because of software limitations and lack of personal interaction. Conclusions Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant gamification is applicable for this patient cohort and could be integrated into adolescent atraumatic shoulder instability rehabilitation programmes; however, results emphasise the importance of personal contact.

Exergames to Prevent the Secondary Functional Deterioration of Older Adults during Hospitalization and Isolation Periods during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is having an intense impact on the functional capacity of older adults, making them more vulnerable to frailty and dependency. The development of preventive and rehabilitative measures which counteract the consequences of confinement or hospitalization is an urgent need. Exergaming can promote physical activity, prevent falls, and maintain functional and cognitive capacity. However, although the use of exergames in health programs for the elderly is promising, their widespread use should not be considered without the supervision of a social health professional. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate and analyze three video game consoles (Nintendo Wii®, Xbox-Kinect® and Play Station 4®) and 26 commercial exergames with the aim of identifying their usefulness for the prevention of functional deterioration. Three occupational therapists analyzed the data independently, and subsequently agreed on the results. The examination of the commercial consoles met three criteria: components, interaction channels and the type of the exergame. Each exergame was analyzed taking into account its ability to train postural control, balance, upper limb functionality and cognitive function. The results of the evaluation showed that exergames contain game activities that can be part of the rehabilitative treatment aimed at the prevention of the functional impairment of older people affected by COVID.

Modern Technologies in the Rehabilitation of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Potential Application in Times of COVID–19

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic required the adoption of new technologies to improve access to healthcare at an unprecedented speed, as social distancing became mandatory. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effectiveness of using new technologies in the rehabilitation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and discuss their potential role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: The studies were identified by searching two online databases—PUBMED and Web of Science. Combinations of the key words “Multiple sclerosis” and “e-health”; “Multiple sclerosis” and “virtual reality”; “Multiple sclerosis” and “telerehabilitation”; “Multiple sclerosis” and “new technologies”; “Multiple sclerosis” and “tele-exercise” were used to find suitable publications. Results: A total of 17 studies were included. Although the overall number of participants in all the studies was 904, two of the studies were conducted on the same group. Thus, a total of 854 participants were involved in the studies included. All participants were diagnosed with MS. In 10 studies, participants had to be diagnosed according to the McDonald criteria. Of the included studies: five involved intervention at participants’ home, six were conducted using Xbox Kinect, and seven studies reported no adverse outcomes. Conclusion: The review proves telerehabilitation to be an effective motivational tool to restore and maintain both physical and cognitive function in patients with MS. Remote communication technologies seem to be measures of high effectiveness in rehabilitating and supporting MS patients especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the traditional rehabilitation option is less accessible or in some cases inaccessible for these patients.

Fantasias on a Theme by Walt Disney

This chapter investigates listening to music in video games by proposing a model of “playful listening” to show how music creates domains of musical play. The chapter uses case studies of three games all based on Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940/1999) films: Atari 2600 (1983), Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (1991), Microsoft Xbox Kinect (2014). Each Fantasia game highlights these fields of musical play in different ways. Games like the Fantasia titles make obvious how listening to music can be playful (even outside games). When we listen for how music “plays out,” we are engaging with the implied possibilities of the music, its “potential to be otherwise”; the music generates a field of potential sounding forms, only one of which is realized and fulfilled in performance. Games, and these games in particular, encourage us to listen playfully, and to enjoy the dynamic relationships of listening, in-game and outside, on-screen and off.

Additional Effects of Xbox Kinect Training on Upper Limb Function in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Randomized Control Trial

Background: Xbox Kinect-based virtual reality, being a novel approach, has therapeutic benefits in rehabilitation and its use is encouraged in stroke rehabilitation of upper extremities. Objective: Primary aim of the current study is to investigate the additional effects of Xbox Kinect training in combination with routine physiotherapy exercises based on each component of Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE). Moreover, effect of upper limb rehabilitation on cognitive functions was also assessed. Methods: This study was a parallel arm randomized control trial. Fifty-six participants were recruited and randomly allocated to either an Xbox Kinect training group (XKGT) or exercise training group (ETG). Measures of concern were recorded using FMA-UE, Box and Block Test (BBT), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Evaluation was conducted at baseline and after completion of intervention at the sixth week. Results: There were significant differences from pre- to post-intervention scores of FMA-UE and BBT (p < 0.001) in both groups, whereas no difference was observed for MOCA (XKTG p value 0.417, ETG p value 0.113). At six-week follow-up there were significant differences between both groups in FMA-UE total score (p < 0.001), volitional movement within synergies (p < 0.001), wrist (p = 0.021), hand (p = 0.047), grasp (p = 0.006) and coordination/speed (p = 0.004), favoring the Xbox Kinect training group. Conclusion: To conclude, results indicate repetitive use of the hemiparetic upper extremity by Xbox Kinect-based upper limb rehabilitation training in addition to conventional therapy has a promising potential to enhance upper limb motor function for stroke patients.

ROS OS based environment mapping of Cyber Physical System Lab by Depth sensor

The 21st century is a century of Robotics and thus the appearance of robots in the industries made the “Industrial Revolution 4.0” in which we can control and analyse the system using HMI’s or wirelessly over network and it’s a great example of industry 4.0 component. Nowadays robots are very important part of industry’s processing unit as they have the tendency to work 24*7 thus increases the efficiency of processing and production unit. In our project a depth sensor (Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect) is mounted on a mobile robot whose main task is to map our Cyber Physical System Lab in 3-Dimensional which uses a ROS OS software installed on linux machine. The robot will use a Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) process to map an environment while currently generating an estimate for the location of the Robot.

[ID 52420] TREINAMENTO DOS MÚSCULOS DO ASSOALHO PÉLVICO ASSOCIADO À GAMETERAPIA PARA TRATAMENTO DA INCONTINÊNCIA URINÁRIA DE ESFORÇO

Objetivo: Avaliar a eficácia do TMAP associado à gameterapia em mulheres com IUE, tendo como variáveis a gravidade, a função dos MAP e o impacto sobre a vida diária. Metodologia: A pesquisa teve aprovação do Comitê de Ética e foi realizada com 10 mulheres incontinentes, de 40 a 77 anos, no período de agosto a outubro de 2017, na Clínica Escola de Fisioterapia da Universidade da Amazônia. Utilizou-se uma ficha de avaliação fisioterapêutica uroginecológica, a escala de impacto sobre a vida diária e como instrumentos de intervenção foram utilizados o Xbox Kinect 360º por 12 sessões. A análise estatística foi realizada por meio do programa GraphPad Prism 5, tendo sido utilizado o teste de Wilcoxon, sendo adotado um nível alfa 5% (p≤0,05) como significância estatística. Resultados: Observou-se que na avaliação da perda ao esforço, ocorreu melhora no pós-tratamento (p=0,01), quanto à severidade e a progressão da perda, a maioria mencionou não existir perda pós-tratamento, porém, sem significância estatística. Na palpação dinâmica, no período pré-tratamento apenas 20% (2/10) das mulheres possuíam força completa, no entanto, na reavaliação essa variável subiu para 80% (8/10), sendo estatisticamente significante (p=0,01), bem como, no endurece (p=0,01), na potência (p=0,007) e no relaxamento pós-contração (p=0,02). Na avaliação pós-aplicação do protocolo, 70% (7/10) das mulheres afirmaram que a incontinência urinaria não mais impactava sobre a vida diária (p=0,007). Conclusão: O tratamento proposto no estudo mostrou-se eficaz para a amostra em questão, na recuperação da continência urinária.

Feasibility and Enjoyment of Exercise Video Games in Older Adults

Interventions using exercise video games, or exergames, have shown short-term cognitive and physical benefits to older adults, though long-term effects are less promising. Enjoyment of exergames may promote exergame use after the intervention period, though little work has examined older adults’ views of exergames before and after gameplay experience. We invited 20 older adults between 65 and 84 years of age (M=73.30, SD=5.95) to play two Xbox Kinect games, Just Dance and Kinect Sports Rivals, for twenty minutes. In our presentation, we will present qualitative and quantitative findings of this pilot study, including findings that older adults reported that they were not likely to play similar exergames in the future and that they did not find the exergames to be more fun compared to other ways of exercising. We will discuss implications for game design and research relevant to game developers, manufacturers, and researchers. Part of a symposium sponsored by Technology and Aging Interest Group.