Developing Virtual Reality Exercise Games for People Living with Dementia

运动视频游戏可以为老年人的身体健康和认知功能带来好处，包括痴呆症患者(PWD)。运动游戏可以增加体育锻炼的乐趣和乐趣，从而增加锻炼的动力。虚拟现实(VR)技术，如头盔显示器和运动跟踪控制器，可以使游戏更加直观和身临其境，从而进一步提高参与度。因此，虚拟现实运动游戏有可能成为常规运动的适当补充，并促进残疾人士参与运动。PI之前所做的工作已经为PWD设计了VR运动游戏的实验室原型。VR Vision Group是一家总部位于多伦多的企业，为培训目的创造混合现实解决方案。VR Vision的程序员已经开发了适用于老年护理的VR应用程序；然而，他们希望在PWD设计、长期护理环境以及对运动游戏有效性的系统验证方面获得专业知识，这些都是PI实验室的优势。PI和VR Vision已经确定了优势互补，非常适合NSERC Engage合作。这个项目是PI实验室和VR Vision之间长期合作的第一阶段。NSERC Engage的目标是在团队之间建立协作策略，并创建和开发一种新的VR运动游戏，该游戏对残疾人来说既吸引人又有效。两个团队都将把以前的经验应用到：与利益相关者(医疗保健专业人员和残疾人士)合作，根据他们的兴趣、需求和能力进行设计；根据治疗师的最佳实践使用运动动作和计划；从事敏捷的软件开发；定义收集有效性测量的数据协议；以及迭代设计，以改进游戏美学、机械和可用性。

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.