A software utility for mapping human movement onto game control
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Movement control in movement disorders: application to the control of electronic games.
IRAS ID
186020
Contact name
Adam Shortland
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Young people with physical disabilities enjoy playing electronic games [1] but may have barriers to their participation. The Kinect™ sensor is an adjunct to the XBOX™ gaming platform. It is a specialised sensor that is able to quantify movements of the player in 3D.
Using a Kinect™ sensor we will analyse how well a user follows the movements of an on-screen avatar (virtual figure). Algorithms embedded in the software will identify which of the user's movements are the most accurate and responsive. We will then map these movements onto standard game controls (joystick, mouse or keyboard). In its simplest form, a movement of the right hand to the right might correspond to a right mouse click.
A group of young people with and without upper limb problems will be studied. We will ascertain the responsiveness and accuracy with which each individual can perform movements from a database of movements (generic movement set), and select algorithmically a person-specific subset of movements to substitute for the actions of typical controllers (the personalised movement set). We will then compare how well the participants play 3 popular electronic games by using their personalised movement set, a standard movement set, and by using the electronic controller.
We hypothesise that the personalised movement set will be the most successful for those individuals with upper limb movement difficulties.
Our long-term intention is to develop software utilities to help young people with motor control difficulties to participate in electronic gaming.
[1] Michelsen, S.I., et al. (2014) European study of frequency of participation of adolescents with and without cerebral palsy, European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, 18 (3), pp. 282-294.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0055
Date of REC Opinion
1 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion