Video games and technology are not only good fun, but the can also be used to help people with disabilities during their rehabilitation to reach goals that they had achieved before.
This fact was highlighted by a group of 20 volunteers from Microsoft offices around the world and who form the “Empowering Youth” group on a recent work visit to Costa Rica. The group teamed up with the SOS Foundation and the Poet Centre in Costa Rica in late November of 2015 to support the development of digital skills of students in vulnerable area. They also trained staff of the Centre to provide rehabilitation to patients with disabilities using the videogame software solution VirtualRehab that incorporates the Kinect sensor for Xbox One and Leap Motion controller.
Brannon Zahand specialist, senior program manager in Microsoft Operations, pointed out that video games can bring a lot to the disabled population, as technology allows people to do things they otherwise could not. Another advantage of incorporating video games is that can motivate people to do their physical therapy exercises through more enjoyable activities.
“Physical therapy is sometimes painful and not fun. When it’s done as a game, when the experience is magical, it can turn something very difficult into some easy.” Zahand continued.
The Spanish Microsoft employee Cristina Gallego, one of the volunteers in charge of showing the Xbox and Kinect technologies at the Poet youth center explained “The Xbox console is always fun. But for people with disabilities it can help with coordination, balance, etc.” For this reason, Gallego went on to say, Microsoft decided to introduce VirtualRehab at the center for their patients.
VirtualRehab is a program developed by Virtualware, which is being used internationally in hospitals and rehabilitation centers and even day care centers for the elderly, and is aimed to help people with some degree of disability or who are recovering from accidents to help recover their lost mobility. It uses motion capture technologies combined with customizable gamified exercises in the form of videogames to help in the rehabilitation process.
“It is a software that can be programmed. For example, if a patient needs to exercise the right part of their body because of their disability, we can focus on that part.” explained Cristina Gallego.
Ineke Geesink, manager of Emerging Markets at Microsoft, said the company annually finances an aid project. In 2013 it was in India; in 2014, in Kenya and in this 2015 in Costa Rica. “The idea is to provide, through the Microsoft technology, support for people with permanent or temporary disabilities so that they can have better quality of life and be better integrated into society,” said Geesink.
The project in Costa Rica is another example of a project where Microsoft has placed its confidence in VirtualRehab.