People with uncommon impairments can have difficulties developing an exercise routine that fits their unique needs. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen, Germany an academic team has partnered with victims of thalidomide to create a tablet exercise game they would be happy to play.

The game relies on a sensor packed shoulder pad that constantly monitors the motion of the player, converting physical movement into actions of characters on the screen. Moreover, the seat of the chair is also smart, letting patients use buttocks as another controller, while voice recognition provides additional interaction with the game. The game is interactive, and players can communicate with others via webcam while competing against each other.

“Our project is not just about developing innovative technology, but about starting with concrete needs,” says Karolina Mizera, who coordinates the project centrally from the Center for Responsible Research and Innovation in Berlin, which belongs to the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO. “The prototypes were created in conjunction with people who know very well what it means to live with physical limitations: thalidomide victims.”

source:Fraunhofer