Vi Fit - Wii Sports style games for the blind

paul · **Joined:** Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:43 pm **Posts:** 547

This is a really interesting use of the Wii Remote technology: University of Nevada researchers have been using them to create Wii Fit and Wii Sports style games for the blind and visually impaired, especially kids.

The project is called VI Fit, and so far they have a bowling game and a tennis game.

The system uses the Wii Remotes to provide motion control, and also vibration feedback to the player. Combined with audio feedback this provides a rich interaction for the players. In the words of the researchers...

Quote:

Unfortunately exergames are not accessible to users with visual impairments as they rely upon the player being able to see visual stimuli. The VI Fit research project seeks to explore how exergames can be developed that can be played without visual feedback, which the goal to increase the participation of users with visual impairments in physical activity and to improve their health. All VI Fit games can be downloaded for free and played using low cost motion sensing controller (called the Wii Remote) capable of providing vibrotactile and audio cues.

The system doesn't actually use the Wii, just the Wii Remotes. A lot of people don't realise that the Wii Remotes can actually be connected to an ordinary computer, they use the same Bluetooth communication system that wireless mice and keyboards use. However this is probably one of the cleverest uses of the technology that I've come across in a while.

It's very easy for those of use with working vision to take for granted how much we use visual cues when using technology. This is becoming even more the case as things like touch screens become common. It's good to see that people are making the most of some of the new technology to rebalance things a little. We've already seen the Wii and Wii Fit being used to help many people with physical disabilities and injuries to recover, now it's being used to help them have some more fun and get active. Mind you, all the blind people I've known have been very active, one snowboards very well, and another is a hiker.

This has also highlighted an interesting issue about Microsoft's new Kinect system (née Project Natal), which doesn't use controllers to detect your motion, but uses cameras instead. With no physical item to hold onto there is no means of providing feedback, you are literally just making shapes in the air. It will be interesting to see how well it works without any form of feedback mechanism. The Wii Remote's vibration and sound system is pretty low tech, but it does provide an added dimension. One which appears to be very useful to the visually impaired.

mtbone · **Posted:** Wed Jun 16, 2010 4:03 am

Paul;
As a Lion (the largest service organization in the world) we are "Knights of the Blind" and this is great news. Kudos to those who designed it.