GamifyPT: Gamified physical therapy for pediatric fine motor skill rehabilitation

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a central nervous system disorder that results in impaired motor function. Effective treatments are limited and there is a need for improved delivery systems for physical therapy for pediatric CP patients. Research indicates that gamified systems are promising for providing engaging and therapeutically beneficial rehabilitation. We propose a novel low-cost and in-home gaming interface consisting of a lightweight, wearable sensor-based controller that functions as an attachment to a programmable fun video game for children with CP to improve their fine motor skills, specifically pincer grasps, which are a crucial skill for picking up and manipulating objects. Our system offers a range of game difficulty levels, allows for multiplayer use, offers real-time feedback to the users to correct their movements, and provides a graphical performance report to the child’s physical therapist through our user interface.