Developing Virtual Reality Exercise Games for People Living with Dementia

运动电子游戏（exergames）可以为老年人（包括患有痴呆症的人）带来身体健康和认知功能的好处。运动游戏可以通过增加体育锻炼的乐趣和享受来增加锻炼的动力。虚拟现实（VR）技术，如头戴式显示器和运动跟踪控制器，可以通过使游戏更加直观和身临其境，进一步提高参与度。因此，虚拟现实运动游戏有可能成为传统运动的适当补充，并促进残疾人士参与运动。PI之前的工作是为PWD设计VR游戏的实验室原型。VR Vision Group是一家总部位于多伦多的企业，为培训目的创建混合现实解决方案。VR Vision公司的程序员开发了用于老年人护理的VR应用程序；然而，他们希望在设计残疾、长期护理环境和系统验证exergames的有效性方面获得专业知识，这些都是PI实验室的优势。PI和VR Vision已经确定了互补的优势，并且非常适合NSERC Engage合作。这个项目是PI实验室和VR Vision长期合作的第一阶段。NSERC Engage的目标是在团队之间建立合作策略，并创建和开发一种新的VR游戏，这种游戏对PWD具有吸引力和有效性。两个团队将运用以往的经验知识：与利益相关者（医疗保健专业人员和残疾人）合作，根据他们的兴趣、需求和能力进行设计；使用基于治疗师最佳实践的运动动作和计划；从事敏捷软件开发；定义收集有效性措施的数据协议；迭代设计以改进游戏美学、机制和可用性。

Exercise video games (exergames) could bring benefits to both physical fitness and cognitive functions of older adults including people living with dementia (PWD). Exergames can increase motivation for exercise by adding fun and enjoyment to physical training. Virtual reality (VR) technologies such as head-mounted displays and motion tracking controllers could further boost the engagement by making the exergames more intuitive and immersive. As a result, VR exergames have the potential to become a suitable complement to conventional exercise and promote engagement in exercise among PWD. Previous work done by the PI has designed lab prototypes of VR exergames for PWD. VR Vision Group is a Toronto-based enterprise that creates mixed-reality solutions for training purposes. Programmers at VR Vision have developed VR applications for senior care; however, they are looking to gain expertise in design for PWD, long-term care environments, and systematic validation of exergames' effectiveness, which are all strengths of the PI's lab. The PI and VR Vision have identified complementary strengths and a good fit for NSERC Engage collaboration.This project is the first stage in a long-term collaboration between the PI's lab and VR Vision. The goal of this NSERC Engage is to establish collaborative strategies between the teams and create and develop a new VR exergame that is engaging and effective for PWD. Both teams will apply knowledge from previous experiences to: collaborate with stakeholders (healthcare professionals and PWD) to design for their interests, needs, and abilities; use exercise motions and plans based on therapists' best practice; engage in agile software development; define data protocol for collecting effectiveness measures; and iterate on the design for the improvement of game aesthetics, mechanics, and usability.