PD Wii: Computer-Based Training Phase II

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Red Hill Studios and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing proposes to develop a computer-based videogame training program for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The program will feature a customizable Physical Gaming Regimen that will be based on an existing training program that has proven to be effective in improving gait and balance in patients with PD. The program will consist of a suite of games specifically designed to encourage patients with PD to perform movements that have therapeutic benefit. The patient's movements are tracked by a combination of low-cost motion detectors and an electronic balance board such as the WiiFit . The computer-based training program will combine the ability to recognize gestures and movement with a suite of tailored therapy games that encourage patients as they train. The games will adapt to the specific abilities of individual patients and evolve with the patients as their conditions change. The Phase II program will build upon a successful Phase I program that demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. During Phase I, the product team also identified potential extensions of the program that utilize new low-cost sensor technology such as the Nintendo WiiFit balance board and a highly responsive Darwin controller developed by Motus. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed program will encourage patients with Parkinson's to spend more time on gait and balance training and will increase the effectiveness of that training. In addition, the system will capture a great deal of dynamic information about patients' movements that may facilitate the creation of a simplified dynamic model that could be used to track therapeutic progress.