Cost-effective (gaming) motion and balance devices for functional assessment: Need or hype?
B Bonnechère1, B Jansen2, S Van Sint Jan3
1Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis (LABO), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Center for Functional Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; iMinds, Department of Medical Information Technologies (MIT), Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
In the last decade, technological advances in the gaming industry have allowed the marketing of hardware for motion and balance control that is based on technological concepts similar to scientific and clinical equipment. Such hardware is attractive to researchers and clinicians for specific applications. However, some questions concerning their scientific value and the range of future potential applications have yet to be answered. This article attempts to present an objective analysis about the pros and cons of using such hardware for scientific and clinical purposes and calls for a constructive discussion based on scientific facts and practical clinical requests that are emerging from application fields.
