Games 4 Rehab

Virtual reality boosts rehab efforts

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:51:19 -0700

On most days, a tumor on Zvulun Muola's spinal cord keeps him confined to a wheelchair, but today he is standing on a small, wooden dinghy gliding downstream, navigating between the islands of a tropical paradise. Muola, whose legs are partially paralyzed, is among a handful of disabled patients in Israel using the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment. The virtual-reality system puts patients at the helm of a life-size video game, forces them to use atrophied muscles and teaches the basic skills necessary to recover from severe injuries and disorders.

About Gametherapy Course Brazil

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:45:54 -0700

Rio de Janeiro is being established at this weekend's international travel Wii Rehabilitation.Developed and taught by professor Dr. Vanderlinde, Brazil's representative for Games4Rehab. The classes are geared for professional physical therapy and physical educators who want to update the market increasingly competitive.

Robotics in rehabilitation therapy

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:45:10 -0700

VIDEO - Robotics in rehabilitation therapy Robotics help a patients rehabilitation at Reeve-Irvine Research Center (RIRC). Video games controlled by a patient hooked up to a robot make rehabilitation challenging and more enjoyable.

Eye controlled Mario System

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:34:53 -0700

BLOG - The people of Waterloo Labs explain how they made it possible to play video games with eye movement. There's also a video that shows game play.

Is there a Ninja in your Exergame?

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:34:48 -0700

BLOG - The defining attribute of Exergaming or ActiveGaming is..? (did you spot the clue in the question!) That's right - THE GAME!! It's the bit that takes your mind off exercising and makes the active experience actually enjoyable. The key interaction is to make the exercise disappear - stealth exercise if you like.

Wii in Burn Injury

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:34:43 -0700

BLOG - Utility of a Video Game System in Rehabilitation of Burn and Nonburn Patients. A Survey Among Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Practitioners.

Microsoft Kinect

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:30:31 -0700

BLOG - Later this year, and closer to the holiday season, Microsoft will release its Kinect- a gesture controlled game sensor (no hardware required)- just move your body and play the game!!! The first game release is called

Body Games

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:29:15 -0700

BLOG - Body Games by Jonah Lehrer unveils the science behind the Wii and "how the Wii turns stupid arcade games into a passionate experience."

Happy Neuron Academy

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:27:51 -0700

VIDEO - The game allows you to test and improve their cognitive skills: memory, concentration, logic, will be tested through a large number of exercises available

Wii Games - Summer 2010!

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:05:12 -0700

BLOG - Starting July 16, Wii Games 2010 will begin! Compete in Bowling - Standard Game, Coin Battle (Co-Op), Hula Hoop, Mario Kart Time Trial, and Basketball 3-Point Contest.

An audio gaming site

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:05:15 -0700

BLOG - This site is all about audio games. Most of these games only use sound. That's right, no visuals. AudioGames.net wants to promote, support, and inform the audio game community.

American Heart Assocaition and the Wii

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:53:35 -0700

FEATURED ARTICLE - In an unprecedented move the American Heart Association has endorsed the Nintendo Wii.

Armeo from Hocoma - Therapy for stroke and paralysis recovery

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:44:08 -0700

BLOG - Armeo - robotic rehabilitation therapy for neurological movement disorders

About a year ago I had a chance to use this piece of equipment for about 20 minutes and it was challenging, fun, and with more time most likely effective.

Day 1 at E3

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:22:56 -0700

BLOG - Today was full of non-stop demos, conversation, and trying out new innovative and emerging technologies that have great potential as rehab interfaces.

Dave Graveline Into Tomorrow Interviews Stephen Yang at Games For Health 2010

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:20:29 -0700

AUDIO - Listen to Dave Graveline Into Tomorrow Interview Stephen Yang at Games For Health 2010, Boston, MA.

Exploring Wii Fit Balance Board Configurations

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:41:08 -0700

VIDEO - Recent press has the Wii Fit dubbed "Wii Habilitation". Here is a brief look at the Wii Fit balance board and some optional configurations.
How do you use the Wii Fit? Are there other products you feel address more of your patient's needs? Please join the conversation.

The Wii is a nice distraction while using the Evolve Easy Stand

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:41:13 -0700

VIDEO - Patients who have difficulty standing or need to increase standing tolerance may enjoy playing the Nintendo Wii during their session. Playing the Nintendo Wii or any other video game makes this activity fun and distracting.

Wii and the parallel bar

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:19:03 -0700

VIDEO - Standing between the parallel bars while using the Wii during rehab give support to a person if they become off balance

Eye Toy Bubbles

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:21:59 -0700

The patient is performing a rehabilitation task while playing a video game in the parallel bars.

Nintendo Wii

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:48:34 -0700

Early promotional videos of the Wii Fit

Early Videos of the Wii Fit

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:47:30 -0700

Early promotional video of the Wii Fit. Now that it has the American Heart Association's stamp of aproval, what will it mean for sales?

EyeToy Pet

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:45:37 -0700

The EyeToy Pet has a new interface Kinect.

EyeToy Antigrav

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:43:36 -0700

Bodypad for fighting 2005

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:39:13 -0700

Video Games for all

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:27:56 -0700

A great video on how a disabled video gamers adapt off the shelf hardware to meet their gaming needs. KQED estimates 2/3 of American families finnish the day playing electronic videos. 1/5 of those cannot play because of a disability.

History of Video Games

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:22:46 -0700

A brief overview of the evolution of video games.

Maya and Yourself Fitness

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:20:20 -0700

An introduction to Yourself Fitness

Nintendo PowerGlove Commercial

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:19:09 -0700

Potentially this power glove or a product like it might prove useful in a rehabilitation environment.

HG Interview: HardCORE Swimming Wii Game Design Team

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:27:50 -0700

BLOG - HardCORE Swimming is an Exertion Game prototype that combines the use of a Wii Fit balance board, Wii controller and nunchuk to swim through a shark-infested sea while collecting treasure.

PS2 and Xbox 360 modified controllers for quadriplegics

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:27:56 -0700

BLOG - Hello friends of Games 4 Rehab, my name is Sean Kelley and I'm a C 3-4 quadriplegic. Years ago when Play Station 2 was the big name video game console out my friend got me a modified PS2 controller from QuadControl.com

Natural Point optical tracking systems for gaming and hands free mouse alternative

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:28:02 -0700

BLOG - If you have some head and neck movement the SmartNav is a great computer cursor and clicker device that will most likely get you playing on the computer.

ReJoyce inventors discuss benefits

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:15:20 -0700

VIDEO - This video was put together by Alberta Innovates and published in mid-March. It features interviews with ReJoyce inventors Dr. Jan Kowalczewski and Dr. Arthur Prochazka, as well as clinical trial investigators Dr. Mary Galea and Su Ling Chong. Ginny Bockman, a study participant, is also featured.

Telerehabilitation with ReJoyce and FES

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:58 -0700

VIDEO - Ginny, who has a spinal cord injury, uses ReJoyce in combination with a hand stimulator. She uses the electrical nerve stimulator to open and close her hand during the rehabilitation session. Also shown is the ReJoyce Telerehabilitation System with an occupational therapist supervising the session remotely.

Multitoe interaction: bringing multi-touch to interactive floors

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:53 -0700

VIDEO - We propose direct touch surfaces that are orders of magnitude larger than tabletops by integrating high-resolution multi-touch sensing into back-projected floors.

Wii At University

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:48 -0700

VIDEO - Just to show...
we do that with a PT beside the person. We dont want people to fall. But is good for anckles. Shes a ballerina, and had a problem on the anckles.

E3 2009: Project Natal Milo demo

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:37 -0700

VIDEO - Peter Molyneaux gives us a look at Milo, which uses Project Natal for amazing interaction with an on-screen character.

Xbox 360 Project NATAL - Official E3 First Look

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:30 -0700

VIDEO - The revolutionary new controller from Microsoft, shown at E3 2009, utlizes a high-def camera as well as audio cues to draw the player into an entirely new realm of fully interactive experiance.

Johnny Lee: Wii Remote hacks

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:23 -0700

VIDEO - Johnny Lee demos his amazing Wii Remote hacks, which transform the $40 game piece into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer. A multi-ovation demo from TED2008.

Rowing machine for Wii

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:30:23 -0700

VIDEO - Rowing machine for Wii will work trunk, arms, and cardio

Games from 1972 to 2007

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:15:56 -0700

VIDEO - History of Video Games (1972-2007)

Magnavox Odyssey TV Commercial - February 1973

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:14:05 -0700

VIDEO - A commercial for the first home video computer game - the Magnavox Odyssey. February 1973

Customizable Xbox 360 controller brings gaming to the disabled

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:13:59 -0700

VIDEO - Evil Controllers demos a prototype Xbox 360 controller with a customizable button layout that allows people with limited mobility to game more easily.

ReJoyce for Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke Rehabilitation

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:54:35 -0700

VIDEO - ReJoyce's inventors and clinical trial investigators explain how ReJoyce can be used for spinal cord injury and stroke rehabilitation over the Internet. Video prepared by the Alberta Heritage Fund for Medical Research. http://www.hometelemed.com -

Webcam Games for Upper-Limb Stroke Rehabilitation

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:10:36 -0700

VIDEO - A short showcase of the first of our webcam games developed for stroke rehabilitation at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. These games are designed to encourage gross movement of the upper-limb using low-cost webcam technology and a standard PC. The games keep a profile of the player so that the game can be adjusted dynamically to provide an appropriate level of challenge for the player's motor function ability. The games were developed in Microsoft's XNA framework.

Augmented Reality game prototypes for Stroke Rehab

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:10:49 -0700

VIDEO - Videos of a couple of early prototypes of augmented reality games developed for rehabilitation of the upper-limb following stroke. These games are designed for rehabilitating finer movements such as reach, grasp, manipulation and release of objects. The advantage of using this technology is that real objects of different shape, size and weight can be used, with the potential of rehabilitating meaningful and transferable skills. The games work with a standard PC and webcam and so are very low-cost and potentially suitable for home use.
The games are in their very early stages and you can see some minor glitches occurring with the technology - we hope to add smoothing algorithms in the future in order to minimise these faults. They are developed using the Microsoft XNA framework and ARToolKitPlus.

The Most Powerful Person in the World

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:10:55 -0700

VIDEO - This isn't my own video, but a video I found on Youtube a while ago. Though perhaps a tad cheesy, I find it sums up the appeal of games pretty well to those who are passionate about them.

Kinect for Xbox 360 - The Kinect Effect

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:11 -0700

VIDEO - When technology becomes invisible and intuitive something special happens - you and your experience become one. No barriers, no boundaries, no gadgets, no gizmos, no learning curves. With Kinect you are the controller. It's just the magic of you - your movement, your voice, your face, all effortlessly, naturally and beautifully transforming how you play and experience entertainment.

New Game from Microsoft Kinect

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:18 -0700

VIDEO - You're the animal making your way through an obstacle course

Inside E3

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:24 -0700

VIDEO - A brief video of walking through the South Lobby at E3

Artist drawing to music

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:29 -0700

VIDEO - The South Hall was much more lively than the North. One of the publishing companies had a DJ mixing and an artist drawing.

Xbox 360 Kinect - Sports

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:33 -0700

VIDEO - Two player's 'drive' their cars using Kinect

Photos from E3 2010

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:11:39 -0700

VIDEO - Electronic Entertainment Exhibition 2010 was an amazing event. If there was a recession, the game industry didn't show it. The booths were filled with the latest in video games, booth bunnies (male and female) and chockies. The rehabilitation and health communities are growing within E3 too.

Toe Mouse?

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:56:24 -0700

The floor device senses movement of your feet and translates that into actions on a video game, actions on a keyboard. It looks really cool and would be a wonderful device for foot rehabiliation activities.

Rejoice - Powerful Tool in the telerehabilitation discussion

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:55:21 -0700

It is an introduction to an amzing device, the Rejoice that shows a great deal of promise in the rehabilitation space. Imagine your patients having a suite of apparatus like this in their homes. . .

Eye Movement controls Pong

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:52:44 -0700

Computer game that is operated by eye movements, which could allow people with severe physical disabilities to become ‘gamers’ for the first time, they announce today.

PSP2 Release Soon.....I hope!

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:51:27 -0700

How long does it take? The PlayStation Portable 2 might be coming out sooner than you think! Lets hope its at E3 in June!!! I'll keep ya posted.

Blind children in India

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:50:43 -0700

I just heard that there is very little help for children in India who are blind....lets build video games for children who are blind- and lets release them in India!

Obesity and Video Games- American Heart Association

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:49:26 -0700

Active Wii sports™ video games and some Wii fit™ activities may increase adults’ energy expenditure as much as moderately intense exercise, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009.

Pam Duncan & American Heart Association Discuss the Benefits of Virtual Reality Games

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:48:21 -0700

Virtual reality game technology using Wii™ may help recovering stroke patients improve their motor function, according to research presented as a late breaking poster at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2010.

Home Healthcare and Rehabilitation

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:46:16 -0700

What do you think about home healthcare is it pertains to physical rehabilitation?

Sensors turn skin into gadget control pad

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:45:08 -0700

Mark Ward, technology correspondent for the BBC news reports today that by using the skin as a surface, US researchers have found a way to use the skin as an input device. The system is currently called "Skinput".

Pew Internet Chronic Disease and the Internet- Social Networks

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:43:29 -0700

A report from the Pew Interent & American Life Project entitled "Chronic Disease and the Interent" was released on March 24, 2010. The reports indicates that 81% of adults reporting no chronic disease go online (66% go on line for health related information),

Final Days to Submit abstract to....ICDVRAT

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:12:59 -0700

Final CFP. Deadline is Friday 26 March 2010
8th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and
Associated Technologies (ICDVRAT 2010) with ArtAbilitation 2010

Wondering what the changes in Health Care mean to US physical therapists?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:10:08 -0700

Today, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590), the most comprehensive piece of health care legislation this country has seen since the enactment of Medicare 45 years ago.

Article at magazine

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:08:19 -0700

It is in Portuguese...
But it is a great beginning!

Blind Gamer Beats Zelda

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:33:49 -0800

How great is this- a guy who is blind asks for help beating Zelda by using Skype. A few really cool guys in Ontario helped another guy in Ontario- Jordan, who happens to be blind, beat the game.

Venezuelan Gamers Could Face 3-5 YEars in Prison For Importing "Viloent Videogames"

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:32:07 -0800

On March 7th, 2010 Ernie Giblert from Games Thirst (www.gamesthirst.com) reported on a law entitled Law for the Prohibition of Violent Video Games and Toys that was passed in Venezuela that forbids the manufacture, import, distribution, purchase, sale, rental and use of violent toys and video games".

Wii At University!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:30:27 -0800

March will start a Program of Wii Rehabilitation in my University in Brazil!