July 19 - July 25
When I got back from Chicago, my lab mates filled me on the previous week's meeting with the stroke therapist (Rebecca Birkenmeier) and stroke patient, who we will call Tina. Tina liked our games a lot and identified a few bugs we hadn't noticed. Rebecca commented that it would be nice to have a game where the player lifts up an item and sets it down, in order to improve hand functioning. She actually did a really cool study where people lifted and stacked cans with the affected arm, and it really improved mobility.
At our group meeting this week, we decided to use beanbags and colored gloves with the webcam to detect whether the player is grasping or has released the object. Professor Kelleher said I should brainstorm some new games ideas and choose one to test out the beanbag input. I don't have much time to work on it, but if I work really hard I think I'll be able to get a good amount done!
Gazi and I went to buy beanbags and colored mittens. We couldn't find either product, so we bought felt and beans to sew our own beanbags, and socks to use as mittens.
