Video Game Therapy
Barron Associates is a pioneer in the emerging field of Video Game Therapy. Interest in this field has been spurred by the availability of low-cost gaming systems with motion-tracking capabilities, such as the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Kinect. Video games have enormous potential for increasing patient engagement during rehabilitation, encouraging adherence to treatment regimens, and providing patients with convenient tools for conducting therapy in their own home. Barron Associates’ game development goes beyond off-the-shelf games by generating game elements that are targeted to the specific therapeutic goal.
Game development for therapy applications requires consideration of clinical needs both of the patient and the healthcare provider. Our game development efforts are tailored to optimize patient engagement and adherence through the inclusion of elements of fun, competition, and social interaction. Additionally, Barron Associates’ video games integrate tracking of relevant clinical metrics to offer healthcare providers with a convenient means to assess patient performance over time. A critical goal in the creation of these games is to allow individuals in remote or underserved areas to gain access to the benefits of structured and socially interactive therapy programs.
Barron Associates is developing games targeting several applications, including:
- physical rehabilitation for stroke patients
- biofeedback exercise for knee osteoarthritis patients
- home-based vision therapy for children with amblyopia and convergence disorders
- a smoking cessation aid based on cue-reactivity treatment
Related Projects
SaeboVR Upper Extremity Therapy Software
SaeboVR is an FDA-cleared software system, used with the Microsoft Kinect, intended to be used to support repetitive task practice for rehabilitation of adults in a clinical or home setting... View Project
KneeBRIGHT: Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Game for Osteoarthritis Therapy
Barron Associates has developed the “Knee Biofeedback Rehabilitation Interface for Game-based Home Therapy (KneeBRIGHT)” system that combines electromyography (EMG) biofeedback with video game... View Project
Vision Therapy Based on Computer Gaming
Overview iCare is a video gaming system designed to provide vision therapy for children with non-strabismic amblyopia or convergence insufficiency (CI). The system uses video games to present vision... View Project