Medica 2018

••• 11 ••• Innovationen Besides tablets or smartphones, two wireless sensors are needed to play the game. Photo: AG wearHEALTH Helping prevent thrombosis Computer scientists develop game controlled by user’s feet A clot in a blood vessel can block the artery. This is what doctors call thrombosis. To prevent thrombosis, exercises for legs and feet help. Often, however, those affected lack motivati- on. The computer game “jumpBALL”, developed by Kaiserslautern re- searchers together with medical doctors, provides helpful support. What is special: It’s controlled by your feet. The researchers have developed it to be used with smartphones and tablets. The game can also help af- ter a stroke or hip or knee surgery. At Medica, the researchers will present the game at the research stand of Rhineland-Palatinate in Hall 7a, Stand B06. Thrombosis is the third most com- mon cardiovascular disease after heart attacks and strokes. The risk group mainly includes elderly people, but also patients who are bedridden due to an ill- ness or have undergone major surgery. Targetedmovement exercises In order to prevent thrombosis, tar- geted movement exercises such as the rocker foot, also known as the muscle vein pump, help. “First, the toes are stretched far forward and then pulled as far as possible towards the body,” explains Daniel Steffen, computer scien- tist in the wearHEALTH junior research group at the Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern (TUK). This movement should be repeated with both feet as often and regularly as possible. “This exercise, however, is very monotonous and tiring, so patients are usually not very motivated,” Steffen continues. “We know from studies that about 65 per cent of patients do not do such ex- ercises or do them only partially.” This is where the computer game “jumpBALL” comes in, which Steffen developed with his colleagues, the psy- chologist Dr. Corinna Faust-Christmann and the computer scientist Dr. Gabri- ele Bleser, as well as the physician Dr. Markus Muhm from the a Klinikum in Kaiserslautern. In the game, a water ball jumps over tree trunks on which various items such as coins, diamonds, stars or monsters are located. If the ball hits one of the first three items, the player re- ceives bonus points. If the ball lands on a monster, points are deducted. What is special: The player must control the game with his feet. “While playing, he performs the muscle vein pump,” says Steffen. In this context, ex- perts speak of “exergaming.” “Video games are combined with physical exercises,” continues the scientist. Wireless sensors Not much technology is needed for the game besides a smart- phone or tablet: There are two small wireless sensors attached to the feet with Velcro straps that record the movements. “With the left foot, for example, the water ball is triggered to jump one tree trunk further, with the right foot, the ball jumps to the next but one trunk,” Stef- fen continues. In studies, Steffen’s team has already investigated how well the game pro- motes motivation. It also checked how often and for how long participants per- form the exercises and how usable the system is. Elderly people also took part in this test. “We noticed that the senior test persons got along very well with jumpBALL and even had more fun than younger study participants,” says the computer scientist. Daniel Steffen and his colleagues have developed the computer game “jump- BALL”. Photo: Koziel/TUK Enhances the early mobilization Reduces the hospitalization and related complications Optimizes ressources without compromising quality Reduces the costs for the public sector Improves the work environment Releases the healthcare staff from repeated, heavy lifting WORLD NEWS ROBERT ® assists patients & staff Visit ROBERT ® in Hall 14, stand A12 www.lifescience-robotics.com