Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33464221›Full record

ArticleJMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies2021

Electromyography-Driven Exergaming in Wheelchairs on a Mobile Platform: Bench and Pilot Testing of the WOW-Mobile Fitness System.

James Enciso, Dhruval Variya, James Sunthonlap, Terrence Sarmiento, Ka Mun Lee, James Velasco, Roxanna N Pebdani, Ray D de Leon, Christine Dy, Stefan Keslacy and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 45% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

James EncisoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5796-755X
Dhruval VariyaRufus Labs, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3771-8895
James SunthonlapSiemens PLM Software, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0903-7948
Terrence SarmientoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3543-3319
Ka Mun LeeDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3627-7832
James VelascoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7511-0517
Roxanna N PebdaniUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5140-6268
Ray D de LeonSchool of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4185-4080
Christine DySchool of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8366-0730
Stefan KeslacySchool of Kinesiology and Nutritional Science, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5225-3590
Deborah Soonmee WonDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8426-3526
California State University Los Angeles · USSiemens (United States) · USThe University of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImplementing exercises in the form of video games, otherwise known as exergaming, has gained recent attention as a way to combat health issues resulting from sedentary lifestyles. However, these exergaming apps have not been developed for exercises that can be performed in wheelchairs, and they tend to rely on whole-body movements.

objectiveThis study aims to develop a mobile phone app that implements electromyography (EMG)-driven exergaming, to test the feasibility of using this app to enable people in wheelchairs to perform exergames independently and flexibly in their own home, and to assess the perceived usefulness and usability of this mobile health system.

methodsWe developed an Android mobile phone app (Workout on Wheels, WOW-Mobile) that senses upper limb muscle activity (EMG) from wireless body-worn sensors to drive 3 different video games that implement upper limb exercises designed for people in wheelchairs. Cloud server recordings of EMG enabled long-term monitoring and feedback as well as multiplayer gaming. Bench testing of data transmission and power consumption were tested. Pilot testing was conducted on 4 individuals with spinal cord injury. Each had a WOW-Mobile system at home for 8 weeks. We measured the minutes for which the app was used and the exergames were played, and we integrated EMG as a measure of energy expended. We also conducted a perceived usefulness and usability questionnaire.

resultsBench test results revealed that the app meets performance specifications to enable real-time gaming, cloud storage of data, and live cloud server transmission for multiplayer gaming. The EMG sampling rate of 64 samples per second, in combination with zero-loss data communication with the cloud server within a 10-m range, provided seamless control over the app exergames and allowed for offline data analysis. Each participant successfully used the WOW-Mobile system at home for 8 weeks, using the app for an average of 146 (range 89-267) minutes per week with the system, actively exergaming for an average of 53% of that time (39%-59%). Energy expenditure, as measured by integrated EMG, was found to be directly proportional to the time spent on the app (Pearson correlation coefficient, r=0.57-0.86, depending on the game). Of the 4 participants, 2 did not exercise regularly before the study; these 2 participants increased from reportedly exercising close to 0 minutes per week to exergaming 58 and 158 minutes on average using the WOW-Mobile fitness system. The perceived usefulness of WOW-Mobile in motivating participants to exercise averaged 4.5 on a 5-point Likert scale and averaged 5 for the 3 participants with thoracic level injuries. The mean overall ease of use score was 4.25 out of 5.

conclusionsMobile app exergames driven by EMG have promising potential for encouraging and facilitating fitness for individuals in wheelchairs who have maintained arm and hand mobility.

Indexed as

exergaminggamercisingmobile healthmobile phonewheelchair exerciseswireless electromyography

Identifiers

PMID33464221
PMCPMC7854037
OpenAlexW3009431644

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.