A recent study in the Journal of Pediatrics indicated the benefits of exergaming for children. The researchers studied 15 children, ages 9-11 years old, participating in high intensity exergaming, low intensity exergaming and a graded exercise test on a treadmill. The results indicated the following: high intensity exergaming (Kinect hurdles) was equivalent to moderate intensity […]
A recent study was published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation regarding the use of the Nintendo Wii to improve balance, motivation and function in children participating in acute rehabilitation following acquired brain injury. A multiple baseline, single study research design was used with three subjects who received daily Wii balance training. The results indicated that two participants […]
Gait and Posture recently published two articles on the use of the Wii and the Kinect. The research indicated the following: When compared to multiple camera 3D motion analysis, the Microsoft Kinect was able to validly assess kinematic strategies of postural control. The forward reach, lateral reach and single limb stance eye closed were used […]
A recent study published in Pediatrics compared activity levels of two groups of children given a Wii. There was 78 children, ages 9-12, who participated. Each child was given a new Wii console of which none had previously owned. One group of children were asked to choose one game that was fitness focused ie Wii […]
I am highly interested in the Wii and its use in rehabilitation. In a high priced market of therapy products the Wii comes in at a dirt cheap price. There are many university students who are working on “hacking” in the Wii remotes to be able to adapt them for different activities and motion analysis. […]
Here is an interesting but very small study on using the Wii controller to assist with head control. Two subjects with multiple disabilities used the Wii remote controller to control their favorite stimulation by actively keeping their head in an upright position. The results showed that both participants significantly increased their time maintaining the head […]
Research was published to investigate whether sitting balance could be improved in children with cerebral palsy following the use of motion activated computer games. After using the center of gravity game controller in sitting for three months, “statistically significant improvements were seen in two elements of box sitting using the Chailey levels (shoulder girdle position […]
image from Microsoft I recently was able to try out the new Kinect on the Xbox. It was an interesting experience. The Kinect is able to detect your motions without any remote or game controller. Not only does it detect upper extremity motion (like the Wiimote) it also can detect lower extremity motion. I played […]
Now this is really cool, especially if you are a nerdy, techie therapist. This physical education teacher, Mr. Robbo, explains how to use your Wii remote to do some simple motion analysis. You download a program, connect your Wii remote to your computer with blue tooth capability and ‘voila’ instant motion analysis. Give someone the […]
Here is an interesting free download to adapt two Wii games for use with children who are visually impaired – VI Fit. This adapts Wii Tennis and Bowling. The VI Fit download provides audio and vibrotactile cues to direct the players where to hit and direct the balls. VI Tennis was tested on a group […]