Rehabilite Game+: Pose estimation-based serious games for forearm and hand movement rehabilitation

Abstract

Motor sequelae in the hand and forearm can result from various diseases or injuries. As a result, the patient has limitations or inability to perform movements. Serious games for motor rehabilitation can motivate patients in the exercise sessions needed to recover the compromised limb. This study aimed to extend a game platform, developing and evaluating serious games focused on the rehabilitation of hand and forearm movements, then creating the Rehabilite Game+. To develop it, a co-design methodology was used with 21 health professionals (16 physiotherapists and 5 psychologists). The result was a list of requirements, which were implemented in two games based on human hand pose estimation. After that, the Rehabilite Game+ was first evaluated with 21 physiotherapists in a usability and user experience study applying the System Usability Scale (SUS) and User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). Also, movement recognition techniques employed in the games had performance evaluated with 36 healthy participants. The average score of SUS was 92.5 on a 100-point scale and UEQ results varied between 1.46 and 1.98 for six factors within its benchmark, which varies on a scale from -3 to +3, so representing good/excellent results. Movement recognition techniques demonstrated high performance (F1-score of 0.98 and 0.99 for forearm pronation and supination, respectively, and 1.00 for finger flexion and extension). We conclude that the proposed games can be experimented in clinical trials with patients.