A haptically enhanced painting as a tool for neurorehabilitation

Abstract

This paper examines a new form of interaction combining haptic and sonic exploration with static visual information from a real painting. Motivated by recent work in neurorehabilitation exploring group interactions with a robot, and by the educational and explorative value of artefacts, we investigate the feasibility of an interactive painting as a potential tool for the rehabilitation of brain injuries. The study consisted of a series of thirty-six single case studies with healthy individuals exploring a painting through haptic feedback with/without sonic interaction and assessed using a multidimensional measurement intended to evaluate the participants' subjective experience. The results showed that participants engaged with the interactive installation and executed more movements while exploring the painting in pairs. It appears that the haptic painting paradigm encourages development of analytical skills, imagination, promotes spatial skills realisation and enhances touch/hearing sensory channels. The results suggest that this approach might be of value to neurorehabilitation by exploring concepts of augmented artefact installations with technology (haptics + sound), promoting social integration and potential use in public spaces.