SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOFEEDBACK GAMEPLAY

• US 20190015751A1
• Filed: 07/17/2017
• Published: 01/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neuromotion, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neuromotion, Inc.
• Inventors: Kahn, II, Jason Michal, Snietka, Nicholas S., Stricker, Trevor B.
• Granted Patent: US 11,130,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/12 Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/168 Evaluating attention deficit, hyperactivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for deploying game-based therapy correlated with, but independent from, an executing game program. In general, game content within a display can be improved with an overlay of visual therapeutic content such as a visual indicator of a current emotional or physiological state, along with visual features or effects that alter game difficulty. A variety of visual effects can usefully be integrated with third-party game content with requiring direct computation access to the executing game code. For example, effects such as dimming, fading, pixelating, or fogging can be rendered within active regions of a game window independently from, but correlated with the visual content of, the current game. This is suitable for delivering treatment for a range of cognitive and similar disorders and permits rendering of user-specific therapeutic content in combination with third-party games and gaming platforms.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an assessment of a person, the assessment including an evaluation of a trait of the person and an evaluation of an emotional or behavioral impairment of the person;

selecting a game, from one or more computer games, suitable for the person based on the assessment, the game having a variable difficulty;

monitoring a physiological response of the person while playing the game;

varying a difficulty of the game using a pattern based on the emotional or behavioral impairment;

measuring a change in the physiological response as the difficulty of the game changes; and

modifying the difficulty of the game to increase the difficulty when the physiological response exceeds a predetermined threshold characteristic of the emotional or behavioral impairment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the trait includes at least one of a fine motor control and a gross motor control.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the trait includes a cognitive performance skill.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the cognitive performance skill includes at least one of a working memory, an inhibitory control, and a cognitive flexibility.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a computer game includes selecting a plurality of computer games and presenting the plurality of computer games to the person as options for gameplay.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the assessment includes at least one of a series of questions about the person, a structured evaluation of the person, and a clinical evaluation of the person.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the game includes selecting a computer game suitable for the trait of the person.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the game includes selecting a computer game suitable for remediating an emotional or behavioral impairment of the person identified in the assessment.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the game includes selecting a computer game suitable for a motor skill of the person.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the physiological response includes a heart rate.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the physiological response includes a breathing rate.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern for varying the difficulty of the game is selected to teach the person improved management of the emotional or behavioral impairment.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern for varying the difficulty of the game includes at least one of pulsed increases in the difficulty, a piecewise continuous increase in the difficulty, and a ramped increase in the difficulty.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the difficulty includes changing the pattern.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the difficulty includes increasing a difficulty of in-game play.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the difficulty includes displaying an overlay that obscures a portion of the game presented on a display of a computer.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising concurrently displaying an indicator of a degree of manifestation of the emotional or behavioral impairment.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the overlay includes a smoke effect.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the smoke effect rises from a bottom of the display to cover an increasing portion of the display as the physiological response indicates increasing manifestation of the emotional or behavioral impairment.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the difficulty includes superimposing a graphical element over at least a portion of the game presented on a display of a computer.

21. A computer program product for remediating emotional or behavioral impairments, the computer program product comprising computer executable code embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:

receiving an assessment of a person, the assessment including an evaluation of a trait of the person and an evaluation of an emotional or behavioral impairment of the person;

selecting a game, from one or more computer games, suitable for the person based on the assessment, the game having a variable difficulty;

monitoring a physiological response of the person while playing the game;

varying a difficulty of the game using a pattern based on the emotional or behavioral impairment;

measuring a change in the physiological response as the difficulty of the game changes; and

modifying the difficulty of the game to increase the difficulty when the physiological response exceeds a predetermined threshold characteristic of the emotional or behavioral impairment.

22. A system comprising:

a display;

a processor;

a physiological monitor configured to provide a physiological signal, the physiological monitor coupled in a communicating relationship with the processor; and

a memory storing an assessment of a person, the assessment including an evaluation of a trait of the person and an evaluation of an emotional or behavioral impairment of the person, wherein the memory is configured by computer executable code to perform the steps of selecting a game, from one or more computer games, suitable for the person based on the assessment, the game having a variable difficulty, presenting the game on the display, monitoring a physiological response of the person while playing the game based on the physiological signal from the physiological monitor, varying a difficulty of the game using a pattern based on the emotional or behavioral impairment, measuring a change in the physiological response as the difficulty of the game changes, and modifying the difficulty of the game to increase the difficulty when the physiological response exceeds a predetermined threshold characteristic of the emotional or behavioral impairment.