Rehabilitation becomes more fun, meaningful and more goal-oriented when using Playware-technology.
Play is combined with meaningful rehabilitation, to the great satisfaction of the patients, on the modular robotic tiles developed by researchers from the Center for Playware in co-operation with The Funen Hospital and the company, Entertainment Robotics.
The product has also provided the physiotherapists with a tool for goal-oriented rehabilitation for each individual patient.
The modular robotic tiles are used e.g. as a part of the vital physical training, which cardiac patients must undergo after a heart attack. Furthermore, the tiles are used for rehabilitation of apoplectic patients. The tiles, which contain many different physical computer games, use play as an effective motivation factor in the rehabilitation that many patients normally perceive as a monotonous and boring necessity.
Modular robotics brings flexibility to the product, which changes continuously in order to fit the individual patient’s needs. The tiles are independent units, and they can be constructed in any physical shape, as well as they can be placed both on the floor and on the walls.
Technically speaking, the tiles are a distributed computer system within which the tiles each are equipped with their own computer capacity, sensors, light and sound plus radio communication. The computer system is able to configure itself, in order to function regardless of how the users assemble the tiles physically.
The technology applied, is the reason why the product is physically changeable. Future development aims a making the system adaptive in order to make the tiles able to constantly change the challenges, the physical computer games presents to the patients, e.g. by changing game speed, demands for reach, etc.
The modular robotic tiles have their origin in a previous research and development project aimed at children and youngsters, undertaken by researchers from the Center for Playware.
The tiles, which contain many different physical computer games, uses play as an effective motivating factor in the rehabilitation that many patients find monotonous and boring.