Developing Virtual Reality Exercise Games for People Living with Dementia

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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.