Applying commercial digital games to promote upper extremity movement functions for stroke patients

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, usability and satisfaction of conventional devices, Nintendo Wii and XaviX, on upper extremity rehabilitation patients in Taiwan, and to summarize a guideline for improvement design of such devices. Twelve stroke patients were divided in three groups: (1) Conventional, (2) Wii, (3) XaviX groups. Eight senior occupational therapists were interviewed about the usage problems and additional needs related to the use of these devices. The results show that Wii and XaviX could be equivalent to conventional rehabilitation devices for improving upper extremity motor functions. All patients in this clinical trial were satisfied with using the digital gaming devices for rehabilitation. The suggestions for improvement design in game devices are as follows. For the software interface devices: (a) To increase difficulty and the response time levels of the games need adjustment, (b) To record movement data and game scores each time, some device for recording is needed, and (c) The games need a Chinese version of the software interface. For the hardware design: (a) The hand controller must be interchangeable for the users, (b) The controller should be adjustable to fit different hand dimensions of the patients, (c) The game and controller movements need to be designed to correspond to real-life activities, and (d) The controller's operation needs to be simplified. These proposed guidelines would be necessary in order to embody design improvements of the devices.