Skyfarer

Abstract

Skyfarer is a mixed reality shoulder exercise game developed for prevention and treatment of shoulder pain for individuals aging with spinal cord injury. We are adapting a shoulder exercise protocol that has been evaluated in a randomized clinical trial [Mulroy et al. 2011]. This demonstration will showcase a secondgeneration integrated exercise hardware and software system. The system consists of an adjustable metal rig outfitted with GameTrak sensors that are attached to interchangeable Thera-Bands and free weights. The rig can accommodate individuals with various types of manual wheelchairs and can be adjusted for arm length. The GameTrak sensors provide three-dimensional movement data to the calibration and exercise software application that was developed in Unity Engine 3.5. Figure 1. Skyfarer 0.5a (left and bottom right) was evaluated in real-time in a biomechanical study (top right) Skyfarer has emerged after iterating numerous prototypes that incorporated individual elements of a shoulder exercise protocol using a first-generation metal rig [Gotsis et al. 2012]. Skyfarer requires calibration of the game to the physical dimensions and muscle strength of individual players. Player profiles can be stored and the number of required repetitions per exercise can be manually adjusted before playing.Figure 3 Resistance-training exercises in Skyfarer 0.5aSkyfarer 0.5a incorporates the following parts of the exercise protocol: external rotation, rowing, diagonal pull-down and vertical lift exercises. This version has been evaluated in a biomechanical study conducted at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. The virtual environment immerses players _____________________________ * email: mgotsis@cinema.usc.edu into an adventure inspired by Pre-Colombian mythology inspired by the landscapes of South America. With each exercise, players prepare, propel and lift their vessel into water or air, collecting energy that can be used during breaks between exercise sets. Skyfarer 0.5b includes Microsoft Kinect as input for free-form movement segments of the game, such as drawing and improved calibration, animation and movement cuing. Figure 2. Each movement is first shown to the player and then calibrated for their abilities and body dimensions before playing Acknowledgements

Skyfarer: Design Case Study of a Mixed Reality Rehabilitation Video Game

“…The prototypes were evaluated by each member of the team and shown to the RLANRC team for feedback, as well as publicly exhibited at conferences. Feedback from this process resulted in a major revision of the metal rig, which allowed for quick customizations for user height and arm length, easy entry with manual wheelchair, and swappable resistance bands through carabiners [26,27].…”

“…During the three years of development we have presented and exhibited the game at two conferences in the fields of virtual reality [25] and computer graphics [26] with the added benefit of informal playtesting with a diverse audience that has a good understanding of the technology, design methodologies, and tools we have used. This was useful in order to acquire valuable expert feedback from peers, but also because such users were naïve to the concept.…”