VIRTUAL REALITY FOR GAMIFIED MOTOR THERAPY
Findings on the playing forward Platform
15.5 million children in the USA require motor therapy due to trauma and related injuries, congenital and physical disabilities, as well as neurodegenerative illnesses
ASD is the fastest growing neurodevelopmental disorder in the US, impacting 2 million people in total. The increase in ASD has outpaced the availability of therapists, thereby limiting therapy access
The number of occupational and physical therapists is projected to decrease by 2030, driven by a rapidly-aging population
Playing Forward offers a customized user platform, combining an engaging vR gaming experience with machine learning algorithms
GaitwayXR™ is a new immersive virtual reality gaming platform designed to selectively target motor domains (e.g. dynamic balance, bilateral coordination, and locomotion) and is endorsed by occupational and physical therapists. The gaming system provides an unprecedented opportunity for interactive experiences to enhance motor skills and cognitive functions such as switching, inhibition, working memory, and other higher level cognitive functions through an entertaining and captivating platform.
Playing Forward has developed a fully-automatic approach at home to capture whole body motion using machine learning techniques. Through using motion capture data, Playing Forward has created a way to develop personalized and individualized biomechanical profiles of its users. This unique process creates a closed-loop system that operates in real-time to customize the challenge – targeting and personalizing specific motor skill domains to ensure optimal therapy for each child.
virtual reality
Creates a safe, yet engaging environment
machine learning
Guides the type and difficulty of the motor and cognitive exercises
motion capture
Targets specific motor skill domains for therapy on multiple devices
Digital Ecosystem
Integrates three components into a customized experience
Between March and May 2019, HITLAB conducted a pilot study of Playing Forward’s virtual reality gaitway XR product among children 10-17 years old and their caregivers to evaluate its acceptability, feasibility, and value as an engaging gaming platform.
The study was to test applicability of motion camera technology to assess motor skills improvement over time when compared with standard, validated measures of motor skills assessment such as the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2), and identify opportunities and challenges to the adoption and integration of extended reality gamified therapy and entertainment experiences into practice as a tool for motor skills improvement.
“I think this could be very useful in the long run for improving my Childs physical activity."
—playing forward Study Participant (caregiver)
"My child looks forward to playing the game and has really enjoyed the fact that it is VR. He said that he likes the VR better than the Wii and would be more willing to do physical activity this way!"
—playing forward Study Participant (caregiver)
The gamified physical exercise experience in the virtual reality headset was tolerable, acceptable and enjoyable
A relationship possibly exists between the AI-derived metric of postural sway area and gross motor scores on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2)
7 out of 10 children with moderate to severe autism improved more on the BOT-2 test of motor skill function than children with mild symptoms of autism
recent developments
updated january 2020
Platform enhancement are being made to increase the number of levels, improve the storyline, and enhance game-based learning and engagement incentives
an Agreement was reached with Nickelodeon for integration of branded characters into gaming platform
To meet the demands of it’s partners, the product is repositioning from ASD focus to broader movement disorders in children
"When we started this, my son could do a jumping jack, but clumsily. after watching him play the game, I observed him do an almost perfect jumping jack. The game made him focus on his body’s movement and gave him an extra workout, which is always good for our kiddos."
—playing forward Study Participant (caregiver)
