Therapy central: On the development of computer games for physiotherapy

Abstract

The physiotherapy and rehabilitation process is an expensive and time consuming affair. It also requires the direct supervision of the specialists for effective results. This high cost coupled with high demand prohibits many patients from receiving appropriate care. Moreover, the emotional and mental strain is excessive for patients and is counterproductive to the therapy. In this paper, we tackle the boredom aspect of the rehabilitation process wherein we develop a therapy system that uses computer games to emulate the therapeutic activities. We describe, in some details, the issues involved in the development process. Commercial of the shelf product is employed (the Xbox Kinect) so the cost is significantly reduced and the accessibility is greatly increased. The system was tested on children at a local hospital, and the feedback was highly encouraging. This work opens avenues for more research to be conducted in exercise development, movement emulation, and game design. Moreover, commercialization of these games is an interesting endeavor.