Intelligent Playgrounds
From: CNN - 09/26/2007
By: Michelle Jana Chan

New playgrounds outfitted with artificial intelligence and robotics
technology will be able to recognize a child's behavior and respond
accordingly, enabling children of different skill levels to play and
challenge each other. Known as augmented cognition, or "aug cog," such
technology is currently under development by the armed services to reduce
mental overload in the battlefield. For example, fighter pilot helmets can be
equipped with sensors that can tell when the pilot is being overburdened and
adjust the level of stimuli by dimming the interface and lowering headset
volume. Other aug cog applications include video games that are capable of
determining a player's skill level and adjusting accordingly. University of
Southern Denmark at Odense researchers have built four special playgrounds,
two at kindergartens and two at youth clubs. The playgrounds have
pressure-sensitive floor tiles and each tile has a small computer inside that
measures the force of the child's foot and responds with colored lights and
sounds. One of the games, called "Bug smasher," encourages children to chase
after a light in the tiles, rewarding them with a comical smashing sound when
they step on the "bug." The playground is able to adjust the difficulty of
the game based on the child's skill level and can even tell when a child is
tiring. University of Southern Denmark professor of robotics Henrik Hautop
Lund says the technology aims to operate at 10 percent above the
participant's capabilities, and that he is working on more applications for
aug cog, including sports training, physical therapy, and diagnosing children
with autism. 

Read the entire article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/26/fsummit.augcog/

Links:
Center for Playware, University of Southern Denmark
http://www.playware.dk/

Therapy tiles
http://www.e-robot.dk/therapy.html

Augmented Cognition International Society
http://www.augmentedcognition.org/index.htm

Henrik Hautop Lund
http://www.mip.sdu.dk/people/Staff/hhl.html

Playful science
http://www1.sdu.dk/E/new/10_Henrik_Hautop_Lund.html

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Robotic Therapy Tiles: Playing Your Way to Health
From: Wired News - 10/02/2007
By: Lakshmi Sandhana

University of Southern Denmark professor Henrik Hautop Lund is developing
intelligent therapy tiles that use neural networks to guide patients through
exercises to hasten their recovery from injuries or surgery. The tiles are
equipped with processors, rechargeable batteries, force sensors, colored
LEDs, and communications systems. The tiles respond to the pressure the
patients apply with their hands or feet, indicating whether they are
delivering enough pressure or are moving fast enough. "The equipment creates
a playful experience that motivates them to perform the actions needed for
the recovery of their abilities," Lund explains. He says the tiles spur
patients to exercise by providing instant feedback, and offer an alternative
to often boring physical-rehabilitation workouts. Games for particular
therapeutic routines are downloaded into a master tile, which senses the
tiles' arrangement and stimulates the game; the tiles study patients' motions
and gauge their progress. Upon the conclusion of the game the master tile
displays a summary of the patient's performance. Lund and his team are also
exploring how the tiles might be applied to aid autistic children and
patients with cognitive disorders. "The next natural step is to use
artificial neural networks to do classification of the patient's behavior and
adapt the game [in real time]," Lund says. 

Robotic Therapy Tiles: Playing Your Way to Health
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/10/therapy_tiles
