LEAP Motion Technology and Psychology: A Mini-Review on Hand Movements Sensing for Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders

Abstract

Technological advancement is constantly evolving, and it is also developing in the mental health field. Various applications, often based on virtual reality, have been implemented to carry out psychological assessments and interventions, using innovative human–machine interaction systems. In this context, the LEAP Motion sensing technology has raised interest, since it allows for more natural interactions with digital contents, via an optical tracking of hand and finger movements. Recent research has considered LEAP Motion features in virtual-reality-based systems, to meet specific needs of different clinical populations, varying in age and type of disorder. The present paper carried out a systematic mini-review of the available literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The inclusion criteria were (i) publication date between 2013 and 2020, (ii) being an empirical study or project report, (iii) written in English or Italian languages, (iv) published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal and/or conference proceedings, and (v) assessing LEAP Motion intervention for four specific psychological domains (i.e., autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dementia, and mild cognitive impairment), objectively. Nineteen eligible empirical studies were included. Overall, results show that protocols for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder can promote psychomotor and psychosocial rehabilitation in contexts that stimulate learning. Moreover, virtual reality and LEAP Motion seem promising for the assessment and screening of functional abilities in dementia and mild cognitive impairment. As evidence is, however, still limited, deeper investigations are needed to assess the full potential of the LEAP Motion technology, possibly extending its applications. This is relevant, considering the role that virtual reality could have in overcoming barriers to access assessment, therapies, and smart monitoring.

Helping patients connect remotely with their loved ones modulates distress in healthcare workers: tend-and-befriend hypothesis for COVID-19 front liners

“…Sustaining the psychological wellbeing of frontline healthcare workers as they continue to provide the best patient-centred care is crucial in an emergency context (Fino et al, 2021). Technology-based tools and solutions in healthcare settings appear to be quite promising in terms of reducing barriers and alleviating distress (Colombini, Duradoni, Carpi, Vagnoli, & Guazzini, 2021) which are especially exacerbated by pandemic related measures. While virtual communication technologies facilitating remote interactions between HCWs, patients and family will likely be in the rise in healthcare organizations beyond the current pandemic, it is crucial that they be complemented by skill enhancement training for healthcare professionals especially in terms of communicating online and communicating difficult topics with patients and families.…”

BEAGLE—A Kinematic Sensory System for Objective Hand Function Assessment in Technology-Mediated Rehabilitation

“…The marker-free low-cost systems for optical motion capturing, e.g. Leap Motion (Leap, San Francisco, CA, USA) and Kinect (Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA), are investigated by many research groups as the promising solution [46][47][48][49]. However, there are significant challenges to adapt them for everyday clinical use, as these model-based systems suppose natural hand movements that are not always present in stroke survivors, especially in the subacute phase.…”

Virtual Reality and Wearable Technologies to Support Adaptive Responding of Children and Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Critical Comment and New Perspectives

“…Conversely, participants with cerebral palsy and rare genetic diseases (e.g., Rett syndrome) were still uninvestigated as well as request and choice opportunities, leisure options, and challenging behaviors considered as a primary or a secondary outcome (Lancioni et al, 2007 , 2008 ; Chiapparino et al, 2011 ; Stasolla et al, 2017 ; Perilli et al, 2019 ). The contribution of Colombini et al ( 2021 ) combined technological solutions for NDD, neurodegenerative diseases and acquired brain injuries.…”

“…Dependent measures included self-regulation and the acceptance of the technology. Colombini et al ( 2021 ) generated and examined the LEAP Motion technology. The LEAP Motion controller represented a higher affordable USB capture device capable of detecting and recording, through a virtual reality-based system, natural interactions with digital contents, via an optic tracking of both hand and finger movements.…”