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Wii continues role as physical therapist
A Reuters article examines one Franklin Perry, a 51-year-old man currently working to regain his strength after suffering a stroke. Though conventional therapy still mainly aids him at the Ohio State University Medical Center's Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital, spending time with Nintendo's Wii has waggled its way into his list of prescriptions. Therapists are encouraging the patients at the hospital to play 30 minutes a day, two to three times a week, noting that the energetic input not only benefits recovery, but keeps older people from rolling their eyes in boredom and lapsing into back in my day states. "The idea of sitting there fiddling a couple of buttons on a video game (controller) is not motivating or interesting at all," explains occupational therapist Robbie Winget. As for Mr. Perry, he's just keen on heading home and getting a Wii of his own. "I wish I could find one," he says in startling unison with every parent this holiday. "Anybody that's over who wants to play can play. If not, I'll be on that thing all by myself." We just hope someone has the foresight to warn him about Cruis'n, lest he exchange physical therapy for mental reconstruction.
Connecticut hospital jumps on the Wii rehab bandwagon
The mass appeal of the Wii is something we, as well as you, fine reader (seriously, you look good, are you using a new shampoo?) know full well. Retirement communities, rehabilitation centers and now, even some gyms are utilizing it. Heck, we wouldn't be surprised if the console one day cured cancer on its own (probably using Wii Sports).The latest center to take part in the phenomenon is none other than Bridgeport Hospital's Ahlbin Centers Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. There, stroke victim Barbara Everlith is enjoying the wonders of the console, taking part in Wii Sports: Tennis and finding a new and exciting treatment option. Why, in the six weeks since beginning the program, her therapist Courtney Benedetto has said that Barbara has already gained some movement in her left hand. And, it's all thanks to the Wii.[Via Tech.Blorge]
Therapy Tiles: like Twister, but for rehabilitation
Although we assumed that spending time with a Wii was easily the best way to rehabilitate, Entertainment Robotics' Therapy Tiles are looking like a close second. Designed to help patients get motivated, moving about and regaining their strength / motor skills, this game consists of an electronic, interactive surface along with "control programs for the specific therapeutic treatment." Currently, the tiles are being used at the Sygehus Fyn Svendborg hospital in Denmark for rehabilitation of cardiac patients, but it sounds as if anyone interested can phone up the sales team for a quote of their own. Check out the read link for a plethora of photos along with a video demonstration.[Via Wired]
Therapists, Army using Wii to rehabilitate patients
We've seen a variety of methods used to help stroke patients regain motion and motor functions, but we can't think of anything more exciting than playing video games as a critical part of your rehabilitation. Turns out, a number of physical therapists around the country are actually allowing patients to relearn balance and movement skills by playing the Wii, which as you know, it already quite the hit with the geriatric set. Furthermore, injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany are also "regaining their strength by playing virtual games on the Wii," and there's even suggestions out to conduct a research study that looks at the effectiveness of using Nintendo's latest console as a rehab tool. Hit the read link for the video report.[Thanks, Pat D.]
iPod Therapy: Bringing your backup failures into the open
We've all done it. We've taken our music for granted. We've skipped backups, misplaced our original CDs, or stored our music exclusively on a work computer--which inevitably gets upgraded and wiped by Intern Bob when we're not looking. My friend Allison wrote me the other day after her husband Scott suffered from the iPod perfect storm: laptop with his entire unbacked iTunes library at the shop for repairs, possibly to be returned wiped clean, and the "restore with iTunes" message on the iPod. Yikes.This morning Dave Caolo and I were talking about these iPod backup failures--the business computer example comes from one of his stories--and wondering what kind of music failures our readers have experienced over the lives of their iPods. So we're opening up this post's comment thread as a form of iPod therapy. Come and share your iPod music tragedies with us.
Therapists, Army tap Wii for patient rehab
While the Wii has done an admirable job getting gamers to flail their arms and smash home appliances, it's the console's seemingly never-ending stream of minigames that has many of us here shaking our heads rather than our limbs. However, this is not the case for all would-be gamers, as a new report finds that the Wii has become part of a new physical therapy regiment at a medical facility in Minneapolis, where doctors have begun looking to the Wii as a means to help stroke victims on the road to recovery as they attempt to re-learn movements they used to know by playing games like Wii Sports.Not only that, but the same report notes that the Army has likewise enlisted the Wii, noting that the little console that could is being used to help injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany regain some of their strength by playing games on the Wii. This is of course encouraging news, not just for those being helped, but also for video games in a more general sense, as we welcome anything that paints the business in a more positive light.[Thanks Joseph]
Conceptual Yoga mat triples as stereo, display
For any devout yogis out there that also dabble in product development on the side, this one's for you. A concept created by Hui-Zong Chen describes a snazzy yoga mat that not only allows you to relax your inner being and place yourself in all sorts of awkward positions, but also enables you to partake in yoga class remotely thanks to the built-in display. Moreover, the tube / mat case packs a set of speakers and a flash-based music player, and we can only assume that a WiFi antenna is in there somewhere for those interested in streaming video classes to the head of the mat. Of course, we're not exactly sure how much "meditation" could actually ensue with all these enticing distractions around, but it's a novel idea regardless.
Moonwalk treadmill trains brain-injured patients to walk
Though there's been plenty of inventions that help brain-injured individuals regain a somewhat normal gait, a split-belt treadmill that oftentimes "pushes people into sloppy versions of Michael Jackson's moonwalk" is certainly one of the most bizarre. The device enables one foot to move up to four times faster than the other or throw one leg into reverse whilst the other moves forward, essentially forcing one's brain to make an "unconscious adjustment" in order to keep him / her from falling down. The goal, now, however, is to figure out how to make the temporary fixes instituted by the moonwalk machine permanent -- without forcing the disabled to live out their lives with Thriller running through their headphones.[Via ShortNews]
Stroke victim finds the Wii helps with rehab
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Stroke_Victim_Finds_the_Wii_Helps_with_Rehab'; You know, we've reported on the Wii being used as a rehabilitation tool plenty of times over, but these stories never cease to amaze us. Take a trip with us to the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Minneapolis' Abbott Northwestern Hospital, where stroke victim, and 77-year-old semi-pro tennis player, Jerry Pope is finding the Wii to be quite the comfort during his recovery period. He explains that it is helping him in his journey to get back on the real court."I'm not a video game player," he explains, further adding that the Wii "is the only one I've ever played." Still, it's managed to hold his interest, as he did not have a taste for the conventional physical therapy exercises that follow a stroke. His wife, Gloria, explains that he was in bad shape following the stroke, but is now looking good and well on his way to recovery.
Another medical institution brings the Wii in
With it helping wounded soldiers recover and retirement communities to stay active, along with personal trainers utilizing it to help people to lose weight and stay fit, we wonder if there is anything the Wii can't do? Surely, at this pace, we're likely to find out it can cure cancer and provide you with a more luxurious, thicker head of hair come October.The latest in the long line of stories about the Wii helping those in need finds us at Raleigh, North Carolina. Here, the Wake Med center is using the Wii to help those who've been in accidents or the recipients of disease. The idea to bring in the Wii was brought forth by the individual who delivers the wheelchairs, as he commented "People don't think of it as therapy. It's fun. It's a distraction, so the therapist can use it to do exercise activities that are hard to do."[Thanks, hvnlysoldr; via The Tanooki]
Military tries out more Wii therapy
Last December we posted the story of Lance Cpl. John McClellan who used his Xbox 360 as a rehabilitation device. At the time we said other systems would obviously be just as effective and now we have the story of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany using the Wii. According to Stars and Stripes, a First Amendment military paper, the Wii is being used as an experimental physical therapy device at the hospital.The story focuses on Army Spc. Shawn Roberts who used the Wii for therapy after receiving injuries in Iraq which caused him to have screws implanted in his wrist. The Wii helped him use his wrist again without realizing that he was doing therapy. Roberts says, "I wasn't expecting much out of it ... But you don't notice it while you're doing it because your mind's on the game. But then when you're done? I was sore." Therapists found the system benefiting various kinds of patients and the "department plans to analyze the results" to see if it's worth purchasing more.This isn't the only military hospital we know of using video games as therapy tools, it's not even the only general therapy Wii story we know. Honestly, at this point, we're shocked that Nintendo hasn't come out with Wii Therapy yet. No, seriously ... utterly shocked. The "game" would be a slowed down version of Wario Ware, but be specifically designed around different physical therapy needs. It's gotta be in the pipeline, Wii Therapy would be PR gold! We can imagine the coverage now. [Thanks Sgt. Mike]
Wii can rebuild you
So we know that the Wii is a big hit in retirement homes and on cruise ships, and may even be featured in gyms across America, but one rehabilitation center is using Nintendo's latest to help patients recover proper muscle functions. The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Canada is using the Wii in lieu of traditional therapeutic techniques -- such as hour-long sessions of throwing a ball across a room. Visiting doctor Grigore Burdea of Rutgers University praised the program, saying that patients embrace Wii therapy, and it not only helps them recover, but gives them a chance to lose themselves in the game, which helps to mitigate their pain levels. 34-year-old Albert Liaw, a patient in the hospital, suffered a stroke that sidelined his career as a boxer, and he's been using Wii Sports Boxing to improve the range of movement in his left arm, and hopes that due to the game, he'll at least be able to enjoy a career as a trainer, even if he can't get back into the ring as a competitor. But the real application, as seen by those who've worked with it, lies in software not yet created. The Wii could easily be used, with the proper software, in place of a live therapist, and allow patients in remote areas to go through therapy while being monitored by remote. Until then, therapists at Glenrose will likely keep using Wii Sports, as demand at the hospital has been huge.
Nuns get hooked on game therapy
PopCap has sent along word of the tragic downfall of the pious retirees at St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa, Mississippi. A seemingly innocent copy of Bookworm burrowed its way into the souls of the elder sisters, clouding their prayers with garbled language and burning blocks. Then Bookworm led to harder addictions, like Bejeweled and Chuzzle; and now "games have become a regular -- and important -- part of daily life at St. Mary of the Pines." Blasphemy!But seriously, for a culture that's become dependent on drugs to deal with the suffering associated with aging (and just about everything else), the prospect of casual gaming being used as practical therapy is refreshing news. We just wish someone other than a casual game distributor was spreading the word.
HOWARD device helps stroke victims grasp again
While we've got robotic assistants that give aid to our ankles, arms, upper bodies, muscles, and legs (just to name a few), researchers at the University of California, Irvine are offering up yet another solution to assist stroke victims regain functionality in their hands. Sure, the Cyberhand and modified P5 glove have already been down this road before, but UCI's Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (cleverly-dubbed HOWARD) is a purely medical device that was constructed to "help people regain strength and normal use of affected hands long after a stroke." Considering that the first three months after a stroke are when the most "spontaneous improvement" occurs, the device is set into a lineup of scheduled therapy sessions which help victims regain motion, feeling, and grasping abilities of their hands. Additionally, HOWARD requires patients to move at least one-tenth of an inch before the assisting kicks in, which purportedly helps them "remember the feeling" of making motions on their own. Currently, 13 participants have been through HOWARD therapy, and all of them saw 10 to 20-percent improvements in various grasping tests, and while we've no idea when these contraptions will sneak into hospital wards, the team is already hard at work developing a smaller sibling with a bit more software options than the existing rendition.[Via Slashdot]
Good Vibrations shoes pack built-in rumble feature
Now that you're packing a cellphone with a vibrating touchscreen, have glasses that rattle your brain if you try to get a bit of shut-eye, and nod your head to the beat of your rumbling headphones, why not put a little shake in your shoes, too? The cleverly named Good Vibrations might sport a website that was probably built in Marky Mark's heyday, but the kicks it sells claim to be therapeutic in nature. The thick-soled shoes feature a non-stick grip, on / off switch, and a rechargeable battery that reportedly provides around five hours of feet shakin' therapy. Designed to massage away the aches and pains throughout the day rather than after the damage is done, these unisex slip-ons are constructed with Spandex, lined with suede, and just might cause fits of laughter if you're the ticklish type. The Good Vibrations shoes are strangely available in just four sizes, leaving most of you with a bit too much (or too little) room inside, but for just about 60 bucks, the fun factor here is probably enough to put aside the fact that they aren't likely to fit.[Via AmericanInventorSpot]
Games tackle psychology. How does that make you feel?
First it was fear of heights, then it was smoking addiction. Now Reuters has a short story on a couple of games that are taking on mental problems usually reserved for a trained therapist. DS Therapy from Tokyo's Dimple Entertainment takes the Brain Training concept to its extremes by giving a daily "measurement on your mental and emotional health" based on a few light-hearted questions. We can only hope the result is more accurate than the psuedo-scientific "Brain Age" given by its inspiration. Mindhabits Booster, meanwhile, seeks to "reduce stress levels and improve self-confidence" in players by asking them to pick out a smiling face among a sea of frowning ones. Personally, we think seeing a lone happy person outnumbered by a horde of depressed automatons might have the opposite effect, but none of us are psychology professors, so what do we know?
VR game helps addicts quit smoking
Game addiction might be a hot topic at the moment, but researchers at the University of Georgia are hoping a specially designed virtual reality game can help people get over a much more prevalent addiction: smoking. Patients in the study don a ridiculous looking VR headset and are placed in simulations of situations where they might be tempted to smoke, like a party full of other smokers or a tight traffic jam. With the help of a therapist, the smoker gradually learns how to handle these situations without lighting up. Does it work? One elderly smoker interviewed for the story had failed to quit with the patch and medications, but after the VR sessions found she could "be in a room with four or five people smoking and I don't light up." We have the opposite problem -- after years of playing Mario, it's hard for us to be in a room full of turtles without feeling the need to jump on their backs over and over. Related: Virtual reality student project aims to cure acrophobia [Via Game|Life]
Turn off that game and get therapy through your DS
As if we could be making this up ...DS Therapy is set to quiz you in a light-hearted manner on a daily basis, ensuring that your diagnosis is as healthy as can be. The game is being developed by Dimple Entertainment, who are mostly experienced with adventure sims, according to Insert Credit. The game is currently set for release upon the Japanese public this May, for the small price of 4,800 yen (or about $39 USD). The final product will feature illustrations from Kaori Wakamatsu.[Via Insert Credit]
Mystery sequel to be announced shortly?
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Mystery_sequel_for_Wii_to_be_announced_shortly'; Japanese mag Nintendo Dream (truly, if only such wondrous publications were here in America as well) has related a tantalizing morsel. According to a ghetto Google translation (check after the break), a successor to a famed and well-known Nintendo franchise is coming to a Wii near you. What could it be? Donkey Kong? Kid Icarus? Such teasing articles are better left unpublished; we lose sleep over this stuff, you know. Cold sweats in the middle of the night kind of stuff.There will be no posts between 3 and 4 today, due to therapy sessions.
Using WoW in a therapeutic setting
Lest you think playing WoW is nothing but trouble (and shame on you if you do), Terra Nova has an excellent story about how WoW is being used in a therapetic setting.It's great to hear that Blizzard's little game could actually be the key to helping young kids out "socially, academically, and therapeutically." The social benefits are obvious-- even the shyest wallflower can get involved, meet people, and find a group in WoW (it's no substitute for the real thing, as the article says, but it's a step up from no social interaction at all). And it's true that with all the numbers and text in WoW, it's not surprising that figuring those out could translate to better academic work in some cases. If you don't care about aggro, you might not benefit, but if a kid really cares about how to max his DPS or make sure he keeps aggro on the main tank, there's some good number theory going on there. And we've already shown, here on this site, that there's a bias against bad spelling ingame.But perhaps most interesting is how the shared experience of WoW can be used to build connections to kids who have trouble making connections at all. We're a culture, for sure, because we all know why they call it Lagforge, and we all know (well, eventually we do) where Mankrik's wife is. It's awesome that a therapist can use that connection to create some more real connections, as the story says, between the child and the teacher.Now let's just see if the media covers a story like this. Or hasn't the suicide in China gotten enough press yet?
