Oni is a serious game designed for self-motivated grasp therapy through the reminiscence of familiar routines.
Having to go through extended periods of physiotherapy to regain daily function after stroke is a painful experience, both mentally and physically. It is no wonder that elderly patients at AWWA lose motivation to perform their rehabilitation exercises. Therefore, Oni aims to instil joy into therapy to engage patients and improve the quality of exercises performed.
Designed with Deborah Loh & Cao Minh Huy. In collaboration with AWWA Singapore.
The original grasp exercise is performed using plastic cones. It does not provide clear objectives or positive feedback, and the shape does not cater to varying grasp abilities.
Gamification sets clear objectives and enables dynamic feedback. The crux, however, is that simulating a familiar activity creates self-motivation. Beyond simply performing their exercises, patients showed cognitive engagement and quality movements in trying to control the corresponding on-screen feedback.
Oni is an interactive game that can be played with 3 wireless controllers, shaped with increasing difficulty of grasp. Each is programmed to recognise a different movement, including pouring, shaking, and spreading. These are common gestures used in daily life requiring quality of grasp. Dynamic visual feedback allows the user to control their actions, as they would in real life, hence increasing concentration, engagement and their overall therapy experience.
Given the new interactive setup, minutes of physiotherapy went by without instructions for patients to comply.