Sandro Hardy

Serious games for health: personalized exergames

In this paper, we describe a set of personalized exergames which combine methods and concepts of serious games, adaptation and personalization, authoring and sensor technologies. Compared to existing systems, the set of games does not only keep track of the users vital state, but also directly integrates vital parameters into the gameplay and supports the training and motivation for sustainable physical activity in a playful manner.

Framework for personalized and adaptive game-based training programs in health sport

This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach towards a framework for personalized, game-based training programs for elderly and handicapped people. Adaptation and personalization are proposed as a way to increase the physiological training effects of game-based training programs (exergames). Hereby, the diversity of users and a broad range of physiological handicaps are considered. The framework is based on scientific training programs enhanced by technical methods and concepts for personalized exergames. This includes an authoring environment (StoryTec) which supports game designers and domain experts (sport scientists, medical doctors, therapists, etc.) in the development process and the (personalized) configuration of such exergames. Two prototypically implemented applications (ErgoActive and BalanceFit) demonstrate the usability and adaptation of the underlying training and game concepts for different user groups and provide indicators of the effectiveness and efficiency of the generic framework for particular user groups. For instance, ErgoActive is applicable for people of all ages and both trained and untrained users by being able to provide personalized training levels to improve endurance. Similarly, BalanceFit is useful both for wheelchair and walking frame users in order to maintain and possibly even increase their balance, strength and muscular coordination.

Collaborative authoring of serious games for health

The efficient production of Serious Games typically requires the collaboration of technical and game development experts, i.e. game developers and domain experts such as pedagogues or sports experts. For the use case of exergames with educational aspects, we demonstrate how an authoring tool for Serious Games can be specialized for collaborative authoring by defining roles of users and providing different views on the created game to each user group carrying out different tasks in the production of the game.

AR-based serious game framework for post-stroke rehabilitation

Stroke is considered one of the main causes of death around the world. Survivors often suffer different kinds of disabilities in terms of their cognitive and motor capabilities, and are therefore unable to perform their day-to-day activities. To regain some of their cognitive as well as motor abilities, they require rehabilitation. To this end, we present a serious game framework based on augmented reality technology that may motivate the patients’ involvement in the rehabilitation exercise. Additionally, we analyze the requirements for such a framework and describe the concept and implementation of the proposed approach. Furthermore, we designed a wireless vibrotactile output device that is attached to a tangible object. The tangible object that is connected to the framework can give haptic as well as audio-visual feedback to the patient in a more motivating and entertaining environment for rehabilitation exercises. The suitability and utility of the proposed framework was evaluated with real stroke patients and compared against the performance of a healthy control group, thus facilitating occupational therapists in assessing a patient’s progress. Our evaluations show that the serious games with vibrotactile feedback are well accepted by patients.

Urban Exergames: How Architects and Serious Gaming Researchers Collaborate on the Design of Digital Games that Make You Move

This chapter presents a novel research collaboration between architects and computer scientists to investigate and develop mobile, context-sensitive serious games for sports and health (so-called exergames). Specifically, it describes a new approach that aims to design exergames which interact with the player’s built, topographic, and social environment in a meaningful way and presents strategies on how to integrate research on health-oriented urban design and planning to the design of such games. To that end, this chapter analyzes the state of the art of mobile context-sensitive exergames and introduces the reader to the basics of “Active Street Design”. After recapitulating how the built environment influences physical activity such as walking, cycling, and stair climbing in everyday situations, it is speculated on how to integrate best practices and guidelines from architecture into the game design process in order to create attractive and more effective exergames. The chapter is concluded with a discussion on strategies to validate the (positive) side-effects of urban exergames and an outline of future research directions.

User Interfaces of Mobile Exergames

Exergames are video games that require the player to be physically active. They can be roughly grouped into two categories, namely indoor exergames that are usually being played in the confines of one’s living room, and mobile exergames, which run on a user’s smartphone and can be played outside. While indoor exergames have been able to establish themselves as a popular type of video game, mobile exergames are still far and few between. An explanation for this phenomenon may lie in the difficulty of designing user interfaces for mobile exergames. This contribution analyzes the user interfaces of various existing mobile exergames and fitness applications, and proposes a methodology for the creation of such games.

Prediction and control of the individual Heart Rate response in Exergames

Setting an appropriate training load is one of the key elements for the success of exergames. Especially for the cardiovascular training, the adaptation of the current training load in accordance to an individually predetermined target training load plays an important role. In this paper, a new approach for the estimation and prediction of an individual’s heart rate based on a monoexponential formula is presented and evaluated using statistical data. The estimation and prediction of the heart rate is a key factor for the calculation of adequate exertion parameters and therefore for the adaptation and personalization of exertion games, i.e. games that use whole-body exercises for game control. The tests reveal that the course of the heart rate response to changes of load bouts is not stable. Only a differential influence of gender on the HR course depending on the particular load bout can be found.

Personalized Adaptive Control of Training Load in Exergames from a Sport-Scientific Perspective

The following paper addresses the development and first tests of an algorithm for individual control of physical load in Serious Games for Sports and Health. The purpose is to monitor and control the heart rate (HR) as an individual indicator of optimal training load. In the context of the Serious Game “LetterBird”, developed by KOM, a playful and yet effective physical training can be realized. In this game the flight of a pidgeon is controlled by a cycle ergometer. The goal is to collect letters approaching the bird at different altitudes.

Adaptable and personalized game-based training system for fall prevention

Digital Games which incorporate movements of the player`s body in their gameplay are becoming more and more popular. An increasing number of doctors and physical therapists use such games for training exercises, although these games are not designed to achieve predefined training goals. Various studies show that the training effects of these games are small in comparison with classic exercises. Therapists request more accessible and more flexible games. In this paper we present an adaptive game for fall prevention based on the adaptation and exergame analysis framework StoryTecRT which allows the adaptation of parameters which impact accessibility, acceptance and training load of a game. This paper includes an insight into the framework and the implementation as well as first evaluation results.

ALFRED Back Trainer: Conceptualization of a Serious Game-Based Training System for Low Back Pain Rehabilitation Exercises

Low back pain is common medical problem and often recurrent. Within the EU-funded project ALFRED, a serious game-based exercise regime focusing on the prevention and rehabilitation of lower back pain is currently being developed. This Serious Game tries to combine high player motivation with high training effects while using low cost technology and commercial game controllers. The exercise goals and assessment metrics of the Serious Game are elaborated by medical experts to allow scientifically based training while the training effects shall be increased by using state of the art technology for the personalization and adaptation of the training process. In this contribution we describe a prototypical approach which combines the use of widespread physiotherapeutic exercises (bridging exercises) in combination with biofeedback training. This approach aims to improve symmetrical function of the paraspinal muscles and improve overall muscle coordination which is important for optimal functioning of the lower back area.