Developing interactive and simple electromyogram PONG game for foot dorsiflexion and plantarflexion rehabilitation exercise

Gaming systems have been proven to be able to improve physical and cognitive skills. Several studies have integrated games to be part of rehabilitation program to improve functional ability of human limbs in performing activities of daily living. This paper presents the development of an interactive electromyogram (EMG) based PONG game for foot dorsifexion and plantarflexion exercise. PONG game is selected because it is a classical game that can be easily comprehended and can be played by young and old people. Two surface EMG sensors were used in this work to acquire muscle activity of tibialis anterior muscle and gastrocnemius muscle. An experimental study was carried out to examine the viability of this sensor as input to play the game. The results were satisfactory. This study further strengthens the viability of using muscle activity as an input for gaming system and as a mean to monitor patient rehabilitation progress.