For the first time, a robotic system has helped patients improve real-life task performance by playing Tic-Tac-Toe. The research team is based in Beer-Sheva, Israel, at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
Overall, the mechanical arm simulates “3D Functional Activities of Daily Living.”
“Playing Tic Tac Toe with a set of cups (instead of X’s and O’s) is one example of a game that can help rehabilitate an upper limb,” says Dr. Shelly Levy-Tzedek, BGU’s Department of Physical Therapy, and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience. “A person can pick up and place many cups while enjoying a game and improving their performance of a daily task.”
To test its usefulness, the team compared participants’ motivation to play with a set of computer-controlled LED lights, or the social robot. Sixty-two healthy right-handed people were selected, falling into two age groups: “40 young adults around 25 years old (23 women and 17 men) and 22 older adults around 75 years old (10 women and 12 men).”
The results showed that both groups preferred the robot system over the LEDs. When prompted to play two extra games, the two groups selected to use the robotic system. However, when asked to play 10 more games, the young adults picked the LED lights, while the older adults still preferred the robot.
“Some of the young adults complained that the robot moved too slowly; therefore, they preferred the quicker system when asked to play many more games,” says Dr. Levy-Tzedek. “That indicates a need to personalize the speed of the robot to each participant.”
According to the researchers, the rate of the robot’s movements influenced the speed of its human counterpart. The participants moved considerably slower when playing against the robotic system, and quickened the pace when using the faster lighting system.
The article, “Robotic gaming prototype for upper limb exercise: Effects of age and embodiment on user preferences and movement,” was published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. Watch the robotic system play Tic-Tac-Toe in the video below.
