The Chongchong Step Master Game for Gait and Balance Training

Exercise can help to improve health, strengthen vitality and prevent brain disease, especially for the elderly. Exercise games, or exergames, which combine both exercise and video gaming, train people in a fun and competitive manner to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exergames promote more physical effort and have the potential to contribute to physical education. This research presents a full-body virtual reality exercise game called the Chongchong Step Master, which is designed to improve gait and balance function and prevent dementia in the elderly. This system used Kinect sensors to accurately recognize the user’s body movements and the stepping board mat to recognize and guide the user’s walking motion. It aims to help the elderly exercise more easily and independently with the virtual physical trainer.