Clinical Rehabilitation Experience Utilizing Serious Games

Physical activity is a major part of the user's context for wearable computing applications. When using body-worn sensors, one can acquire the user's physical activities. In recent years, wearable and pervasive computing were the basis of many research projects in industrial and healthcare environments. As such, projects used wearable computing technology to help people with chronic diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and Parkinson disease (PD). However, the needs of the target groups cannot be satisfied just by technical solutions alone. Motivation plays a major role in really helping people. Serious Games or exergames promise a positive effect on motivation and activity. In this chapter, we will explain the basic technology concepts of wearable and pervasive computing and motivation using Serious Games based on the personal experience of the authors and their co-workers in topic-related research projects over the last twelve years. 1 Motivation 2 Wearable and Pervasive Computing 3 Understanding the User 4 Serious Games and the Usefulness of Exergames 5 Further Outline