Tai Chi Chuan Auxiliary Training Systems in Health and Rehabilitation: Scoping Review

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC), often described as "moving meditation," is a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise suitable for individuals of all ages. Mounting evidence demonstrates that TCC can improve physical functions, promote physical activity, and positively impact health and longevity. However, systematic learning is hindered by insufficient teaching resources, difficulties in imparting expertise, and learning environment constraints. TCC auxiliary training systems, an innovative means of human-computer interaction, provide a potential solution.

This scoping review evaluates the research trends and clinical outcomes of TCC auxiliary training systems. Specifically, we compare the development tools, system design, and evaluation or validation processes used by different systems to guide future development in this research area.

Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library) were systematically searched for studies in English from 2014 to 2024. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and used an adapted version of the Santos evaluation criteria to evaluate the quality of the included studies. The included studies were qualitatively summarized with respect to system design and evaluation verification.

Among the 2202 identified studies, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 24 were rated as medium to high quality. Desktop-based applications dominate the TCC auxiliary training system environment, comprising 38% (13/34) of the selected studies. The hardware and software components of TCC auxiliary training systems vary depending on the development objectives. Regarding system design, 76% (26/34) addressed all groups, with only a minority focusing on specific populations. Interaction design in TCC auxiliary training commonly incorporates human-computer interaction technologies, such as tactile, action, visual, speech, and multimodal interaction. Clinical validation is necessary to implement this system in clinical practice. Most reviewed studies were validated, 6 underwent acceptability validation, 21 underwent feasibility validation, and only 2 virtual reality-based systems underwent clinical efficacy validation, demonstrating their effectiveness in improving cognitive abilities and motor functions in older adults.

The TCC auxiliary training system is an innovative health intervention in a rapidly advancing field. This scoping review, the first undertaken on this topic, systematically synthesizes current evidence regarding its design, applications, research trends, and clinical outcomes, thereby establishing a comprehensive foundation to guide and inform future research. However, the current evidence still faces issues such as methodological inconsistencies, insufficient sample diversity, and a lack of long-term effectiveness validation, which limit its generalizability and effectiveness in widespread applications. Future research should place greater emphasis on standardized reporting, applicability to diverse populations, and foster ethical considerations and interdisciplinary collaboration. This will facilitate the widespread deployment of the TCC auxiliary training system and ensure its sustainable integration into the field of health intervention.