The aim of this research project is to aid and assist elderly people live alone, especially those with cognitive impairments or general age-related cognitive decline.
In some cases, elderly people are non-verbal or unable to express or perceive emotions. Elderly people are more susceptible to mental health issues like depression for various reasons such as loss of their socio-economic status or suddenly having to be dependent on others.
The availability of consumer-facing virtual reality (VR) headsets makes virtual training an attractive alternative to expensive traditional training. There are a variety of consumer VR headsets with a price range from tens to thousand dollars. Each headset delivers virtual environment with different levels of immersion and provides different input modalities.
Very recently, Virtual Reality became a consumer-friendly technology that more and more people are using to consume content. Never the less, the more people adopt this technology, the more we realize there is a concerning danger of people suffering accidents. From the unexpected loss of balance to virtual reality sickness, these are serious issues that must be solved if we want this technology to reach more and more consumers.
The StepKinnection project explores the use of interactive video games to reduce the risk of falling in elderly. Our approach consists on developing games that combine the fun factor inherent in video games with a clinical assessment tool. While the entertainment factor engages the person in to exercising, the incorporation of a clinical test allows for the continuous assessment of health outcomes.
The Mobile RehApp Project investigates the use of Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) for therapeutic support that aims to assist physiotherapists and patients on ankle sprain rehabilitation. People struggle to recover from injuries due to the lack of commitment to their rehabilitation exercises as they are often boring. Recent approaches that involve the use of interactive video games have shown positive results in exercising as users engage in physical activity while playing a game.
