Effects of Social Conditions in a Virtual Exergame for Cognitive Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis

The paper focuses on Tangram VR and describes and analyzes the data obtained during the testing phase.

• Conference: 2023 IEEE 13th International Conference on Consumer Electronics - Berlin (ICCE-Berlin) - Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Metaverse (VAM)

• Abstract: Rehabilitation is essential for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve their quality of life and mitigate the progression of the disease. Cognitive deficits, which commonly affect MS patients, significantly impact daily functioning and well-being. This paper focuses on the development of a digital version of the Tangram puzzle using virtual reality (VR) to promote logical reasoning, attention, and social interactions to enhance engagement in cognitive rehabilitation for MS patients. The developed simulation integrates social presence in the form of a non-playable character (NPC) intending to improve player performance and motivation to ultimately promote engagement and adherence to treatment. A user study involving different game modes with the NPC in either a supporting or interfering role, was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of the Tangram VR exergame. After collecting and analyzing questionnaire scores and performance data, our results suggest that the application was well-received by users, and the introduction of an NPC had an impact in terms of execution times and sense of frustration, depending on its behaviour. Nonetheless, further study is necessary to validate our results fully.

• Authors: Keivan Ameri (first author), Edoardo Battegazzorre, Chiara Galletti, Andrea Bottino, Jessica Podda, Andrea Tacchino, Giampaolo Brichetto, Lorenzo De Micheli, Giacinto Barresi.

Released: Sept. 2023