Speaker at Games for Health Europe Conference 2014

1. Padwalk
Creating a physical rehabilitation
game on an interactive floor
Joep Janssen & Wouter Deenik

2. A collaboration between:

3. LedGo
• LED equipment
• For show (TV) business
– The Voice Of Holland
– Arab Idol
– But also: Eurovision
• Exploring other uses for floor

4. Student project by Wouter Deenik

5. From LED floor to therapy..

6. Rehabilitationcentre De Hoogstraat
• Question by physiotherapist/movement
scientist:
“Is it possible to design an engaging game on
the interactive LED floor where patients
suffering with neurological deficits implicitly
train their gait?”

7. From Gamification….
Using Commercial games…
… and change environment and
context.

8. …to rehabilitation games, such as DJ Fiero:
More info: www.dehoogstraat.nl

9. Let them feel comfortable by creating
an engaging environment

10. Back to the floor…:
• Two users:
– Patients
– Therapists
• Two user analyses
• Goal: find out user needs

11. Patients’ needs
• Exciting, challenging exercises
• Adjustable difficulties with respect to Brain
Injury disorders:
– Easy exercises
– Not too overwhelming
• Variety of patients’ needs:
– Customizability of game (important!)

12. Patients category
3 ‘levels’ observed:
1. Much difficulty walking, need support
2. Can walk independently, but still need to learn
3. Walk stable, train strength and stamina

13. Therapists’ needs
• Customizability:
– Adjustable difficulty
– Train different domains
• Fast and easy to setup
• Easy to use settings interface

14. Technology analysis
• Floor specifications:
– Tiles of 48x48 cm and 48x48 pixels
– One weight point per tile
– Can be made as big as wanted
• Some drawbacks:
– Resolution not to high
– Weight detection: difficult to track walking aids

15. Padwalk
• Two game modes
• Normal
– Normal walking pattern
– Explicit: Walk to the other side (ice cream)
– Implicit: Train step size, rhythm and speed
• Random
– Lily pads appear random around player
– Explicit: Survive
– Implicit: Train balance, coordination,
responsiveness, attention

16. Example 1, normal:
See link for movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLFUjswFq3s

17. Example 2, random:
See link for movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLFUjswFq3s

18. Settings

19. Much more intensity and engagement

20. Results Patients (19)
1. Motivation improved
2. The game is understandable for all patients
3. It is possible to make the game challenging
for most patients
4. The training is not implicit, but the game
provides a distraction
5. Patients want to use the game

21. Results Therapists (6)
1. Most therapists thought the game can be
used as an exercise tool
2. The game is adaptable enough
3. The settings interface is not too complex
4. Almost all domains could be trained equal
or better using the game
5. All therapists wanted to use the game as an
exercise tool.
6. The game can be improved

22. Future Work
• Moving lily pads
• Different behavior of platforms with other
shapes
• Multiplayer (real-time or not)
• Bigger floor with walking harness
• High scores
• Custom paths
• Much more

23. Conclusion
• “Is it possible to design a game on the
interactive LED floor where physical
rehabilitants implicitly train their gait?”
– Game trains patients and is experienced as a fun
exercise
– Training not implicit
– Can training be completely implicit?

24. DEMO
• Hurry, it ends at 5 pm..
• Experience the game and funfactor of the
training!
• Please feel free to ask questions..

25. Questions?
j.janssen@dehoogstraat.nl
Special thanks to
Wouter Deenik!