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The design and implementation of a serious game (SG) concerning inhibition skills in children are presented. The SG consists of a set of activities, each eliciting the tendency to respond in an immediate and inappropriate (wrong) way. The SG is based on the Dual Pathway model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) proposed by Sonuga-Barke and on the Unity/Diversity model of executive functions proposed by Miyake. In the SG, children must block impulsive tendencies, reflect upon the situation, inhibit irrelevant thoughts, and find the non-immediate solution. A study was carried out by testing the SG on typically developing primary school children (30 children, 16 boys; age, M = 9.30 years, SD = 0.87) to verify that it measures the same variables addressed by tests usually employed to assess attention ability in children and to diagnose ADHD. Three standardized tasks belonging to the Italian Battery for ADHD were administered, as well as an ad hoc questionnaire devised to check the acceptability, usability, and comprehensibility of the SG. Positive correlations between impulsiveness as measured by standard tests and impulsiveness scores in the SG emerged. These findings support the notion that skills associated with the control of impulsivity are involved in the SG. Furthermore, self-report ratings in the questionnaire showed that the SG is easy to be understood, is engaging, and elicits positive reactions in children.

The design of a computer-supported serious game concerning inhibition skills in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is reported. The game consists of a series of activities, each eliciting the tendency to respond in an immediate, inadequate way. The game is based on the Dual Pathway Model of ADHD proposed by Sonuga-Barke. In the game, children must block impulsive tendencies, reflect upon the situation, inhibit irrelevant thoughts, and find the non-intuitive solution. In the game, the player personifies a superhero, who is asked to save a realm on the opposite side of the Earth (Antonyms) where things happen according to the opposite of the usual rules. The hero faces a series of challenges, in the form of mini-games, to free the planet from enemies crossing different scenarios. To succeed in the game, the player should change his/her attitude by thinking before performing any action rather than acting on impulse. The player is induced to be reflective and thoughtful as well. Results from the evaluation of a preliminary version of the serious game are reported. They support the notion that Antonyms is an adequate tool to lead children to inhibit their tendency to behave impulsively.

An exploratory study aimed at testing CREC, a training programme designed for people with cognitive impairments caused by a stroke, is reported. The goal of the programme is to improve flexibility in thinking through a creative approach based on everyday problems. The programme includes two Serious Games (SGs) developed ad hoc, dealing with the transfer of the learned strategies to the home environment. The training was applied to six patients to test if it could bring beneficial effects to them. Before and after the training, patients’ neuropsychological functioning, emotional state and level of creativity were assessed. Results showed improvements in memory, logical reasoning and praxic skills. Improvements in quality of life and in creativity emerged as well. At the end of the training, the patients perceived themselves as more efficient in problem solving and recognised that the SGs led them to reflect critically on some aspects of their daily life that they usually took for granted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidents at work often lead the involved people to severe impairments, which can seriously compromise their life and their work activities. Various studies have proven that, for disabled people, being employed contributes to a better quality of life, thus it is important to give them the opportunity to continue their professional career. This pa-per presents a framework aimed at supporting the training and the work-reintegration of people that, after an acci-dent, are forced to use a wheelchair. In the proposed work, the Virtual Reality is the leading technology for allow-ing the wheelchair users to be trained in simulated environments thus, in safe conditions. Moreover, the behaviour of the users is tracked during the whole training session for monitoring, processing and assessing, through seman-tic models, their functional level and the jobs that are still suitable for them.

This paper presents a system called REAPP, a virtual environment aiming at supporting upper-limb robotic neurorehabilitation for post-stroke patients. In the last few years different systems using either or both virtual environments and robots have been developed. However, such advanced systems often lack attention on the physical and psychological conditions perceived by the patient, who should be the key focus in therapies. In this context, REAPP aims not to be just an entertaining interface but also a means to investigate patients’ feelings toward the therapy and to enhance their self-perception while performing the rehabilitation exercises. Before and after the rehabilitation session the patients are inquired about their emotional state, their physical condition and a self-evaluation of the performance is done. While performing the exercises patients look at a 2D/3D interface which has the aim of enhancing their self-awareness by showing them, through an avatar, the movements they are doing. Widgets and a virtual assistant provide additional feedback about the quality of the movements which is computed through a specifically developed arm model that can be customized on the residual capabilities of each patient.

The present paper describes the results of recent and ongoing major European projects about the virtual factory design topic, highlighting in particular new challenges related to the networked collaborative design of factories layout and configuration. A pilot factory for the production of customized shoes is referred to throughout the paper as application example of the proposed methods and tools. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.