Development of Mixed Reality-based Wearable Game Using Multiple Depth Cameras for Body Balance Assessment

Abstract

As Japan’s population ages, the incidence of falls due to decreased motor function among elderly people has increased. Consequently, there is a growing demand for balance rehabilitation to prevent falls. Traditionally rehabilitation has been conducted on a one-on-one basis between therapist and patient, with evaluations heavily dependent on the therapist’s experience and knowledge. However this method involves a considerable workload for the therapist, which has increased the demand for rehabilitation using automated equipment and quantitative assesment. In this study, we developed a game-based rehabilitation system using multiple-depth cameras and mixed reality (MR) device. The MR device allows for the presentation of moving targets in real 3-D space, while the use of multiple-depth cameras enables tracking of accurate movement tracking with a higher degree of freedom than in previous studies. Our approach aims to alleviate the workload on therapists while also improving the effectiveness of rehabilitation.