LightsOut

Collaborators

This project was done in collaboration with AWWA.

Overview

A gaming board for upper limb rehabilitation for the elderly.

Key Problem(s)

Patients often need to undergo repetitive and intensive rehabilitation training over months or even years after the onset of a stroke in order to restore motor functions. Low patient motivation and participation were commonly reported as a main barrier to effective outcomes.

Solution

LightsOut is a tangible gaming board for the training of upper limb functions that aims to engage patients in rehabilitation program. The device features: (1) a module design allows the attachment of knobs with different sizes/shapes to simulate different functions in daily life (e.g turning door knob, opening water bottle), (2) a simple interface and various mini-games with colored LEDs specifically designed for elderly to reduce learning curve, and (3) social gameplay supports two patients to play together competitively or cooperatively by combing two boards together.

Deployment and Usage

LightsOut was deployed to AWWA for use in 2017.

Impact

A three-month evaluation study indicated that LightsOut was able to result in a significantly higher patient motivation and participation volume than the traditional training tool. As an extension of this project, the Integrated Upper Limb Rehabilitation System project was created.

Publications and Press

Publications:

• [CHI EA'16] Lights Out: An Interactive Tangible Game for Training of Post-Stroke Reaching
• [TEI '17] Developing a Tangible Gaming Board for Post-Stroke Upper Limb Functional Training
• [CHI EA '17] Designing Two-player Competitive Games for the Rehabilitation of Upper-Limb Motor Function after Stroke

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Project Contact

Team Members