Veronika Szücs

Motivating Rehabilitation Through Competitive Gaming

This chapter presents the games and animations developed for the “StrokeBack” project. After a detailed introduction—which is quite a detailed overview of the current available literature—showing the multimedia and virtual reality-based games and rehabilitation systems made all over the world. The second chapter deals with the presentation of the development environment of the “StrokeBack” projects’ games. This is followed by the third chapter which describes in detail the games themselves from the initial games’ ideas and from the first developing steps to the final version of the games. Finally, from the suggested several games only three games (Break the Bricks, Birdie, and Gardener) have been installed into the system. The goal of these games is to make it possible for the patients to practice at home. The patients have exercised various repetitive movements. The fourth part of this chapter presents the redesign of the games based on the therapists’ and patients’ opinions. The description of the level editors is in the fifth part of the chapter. The sixth section presents the motivation and teaching animations. Motivational animations were necessary for the patients to have a short rest between the completion of a level and stepping to the next level of the game. The teaching animations teach the clients the proper movements that he/she must exercise both during the game and music therapy. Particular transactions to the games and the animation should have a great motivating effect.

Color Rendering of Images in the Internet and Print Reproductions of the Sistine Chapel’s Frescos

ABSTRACT Many digital reproductions of artefacts can be found on the Internet. In this study we investigate differences between original works of art and digital reproductions downloaded from several online databases. Four frescos in the Sistine Chapel were selected for detailed investigation. Representative colored patches were measured on these reproductions from the Internet and from two printed albums. These data were compared with the Vatican Museum’s measurements of the original frescos and measurements in the Sistine Chapel taken by the researchers of the Virtual Environments and Imaging Technologies Laboratory of the University of Pannonia. Results presented in this article demonstrate that there are significant differences between the original artefacts and their digital reproductions. The source of these differences is very complex. One is the difference between the displaying techniques of different web browsers, which produces relevant aberrations in color rendering. Differences can also arise from the JPEG encoding and decoding methods. Implicit use of color spaces in browsers, missing or incorrect EXIF data, and noncalibrated displays together can result in very different forms of representation.

Logical Blocks Multimedia Game Development for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

This paper presents the design process of an interactive game that can help to improve the recognition-skills of the children with intellectual disability, so later they can make their way in life easier. This article presents the interactive game, which is based on the traditional logical blocks tutorial. The game has been tested by special education teachers and students with moderate intellectual disabilities. According to teachers’ view the game is useful for teaching students with moderate intellectual disabilities.

Target Group Questionnaire in the “ISG for Competence” Project

This paper introduces the “Intelligent Serious Games for Social and Cognitive Competence” project. The aim of these games are to teach youth with disabilities on creativity. The development of interactive mobile games and 3D simulations helps the social integration and personal development of children and youth with disabilities. The project targets to improve the quality of education and trainings to gain more efficiency. To enhance creativity and innovation the project uses serious games and 3D simulations this way teaching and learning becomes interesting, playful, attractive and efficient.

Most Important in the Design: Focus on the Users' Needs, a Case Study

This paper presents the design process of the rehabilitation game “Gardener” that was carried out within the StrokeBack project as a case study. The game was developed for the purpose that stroke patients with upper limb injuries should carry out flexion and extension movements with their fingers several times in a row constantly. During the development, the developers did not only perform the alpha testing with stroke patients, but they were in connection with the therapists and were seeking for their views at the creation of each new version. As a result, the “Gardener” game is not only useful, but also a delightful rehabilitation game for patients.

“Gardener” Serious Game for Stroke Patients

This study introduces a serious game, “Gardener”, which is one of the games planned within the “StrokeBack” project. The aim of this game is to support the rehabilitation process of stroke patients with upper limb impairments and damaged psychomotor abilities.

Designing Trainer’s Manual for the ISG for Competence Project

The 3-year project “Intelligent Serious Games for Social and Cognitive Competence” targets children and youth with disabilities, teaching them on creativity and social competencies, using serious desktop and mobile games. The intellectual output (IO) 4 “Trainers manual” is based on the results and conclusions from desktop and survey findings from IO1 Scoping Report, the curriculum and learning scenarios of IO2 Suite of serious game on accessible learning objects (learning content creation) and IO3 Interactive games for mobile learning which can be reviewed/downloaded from the official project website www.isg4competence.com.

Online colour representation of museum artefacts

Abstract Today, many digital reproductions of artefacts can be seen while surfing the internet. The question investigated in this chapter is whether there is a substantial colour difference between the digital reproductions of the artefacts downloaded from several online databases and the original works. Tests and measurements aimed to explore the reasons for the differences, which were detected and are described. Six paintings were selected for detailed investigation. Representative coloured patches were measured on these reproductions from the internet, displaying them in three popular web browsers, and the data sets were compared. Results from this research demonstrate that there are significant differences between the original artefacts and their digital reproductions, and there is a significant difference between the different web browsers. The source of this difference is very complex. One is the difference between the displaying techniques of the various web browsers, which produces a relevant aberration in colour rendering. This consequence can arise from the JPEG encoding and decoding methods. Implicit use of colour spaces in browsers, missing or incorrect EXIF data, and noncalibrated displays together can result in very different forms of colour representation.

Android Games for Developing Fine Coordination of Movement Skills

This paper introduces two serious games, “Cars Racing” and “Labyrinth” game. These games are planned to use and test within the “Intelligent Serious Games for Social and Cognitive Competence” project. The aim of these games are to teach youth with disabilities on creativity.

Memory Game and Special HCI Device in Stroke Therapy

The main goal of our project was to design and implement a serious-game application, which helps the older generation, stroke patients to complete the rehabilitation process or practise daily movements playfully. The patients, therapists, trainers, and family members can edit the levels in the game. The user can control the game via Microsoft Kinect sensor, which is one of the most popular HCI device.