Dynamic difficulty adjustment in virtual reality applications for upper limb rehabilitation

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to compare the incidence of dynamic difficulty adjustment (DDA) in a in a motor skill rehabilitation game, compared to a manual configuration. To achieve that, a virtual tool called “Bug catcher” was developed, which is focused in upper limb rehabilitation. This tool uses a DDA based in fuzzy logic. The population involved for the present study were made by 2 users, an 18-year-old patient with a hemiparesis that limits her motor ability in her left upper limb, and a 37-year-old patient with motor monoparesis in his right upper limb. This tool was used in both users, each one with a different configuration (automatic or manual), and the motor ability from both participants was objectively measured using Box and Blocks Test, applied before, during and after each session; additionally, a performance index (percentage of success) was defined in order to determine the progress of the participants in the virtual tool. As a result, it was obtained that user number one using the game with ADD, managed to obtain not only a better performance in the sessions but also an important advance in her motor skill in comparison to the user 2 with the manual configuration.