Inclusive
Augmented Reality
Game Development

Building a future where play and exercise are inclusive and fun for people of all abilities.

About iGYM

iGYM is an augmented reality system for inclusive play and exercise. It is designed for schools and community-based sport and recreation facilities, seeking to provide novel and accessible ways for people with mobility disabilities and their non-disabled peers to play and exercise together.

iGYM Logo

Our Research

iGYM originates from the award-winning work of an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Michigan, which explored the combined benefits of traditional sports with the whole-body interaction modalities of exergames (see CHI PLAY ’19 Best Paper Award).

Design and Development

The project builds on the analysis of inclusive play principles in adapted sports and interactive gaming. It involved iterative testing and feedback from health professionals to create a room-sized, interactive game environment that supports competitive and cooperative play among players with different mobility abilities.

Studies

The research centered on studies with participants with different levels of mobility. Feedback from participants with and without mobility disabilities helped evaluate the system’s usability and accessibility. It provided insights into the potential impact of iGYM on promoting inclusive play experiences and related aspects like enjoyment and perceived fairness in competitive settings.

Findings

Key findings highlighted the positive reception of iGYM’s inclusive system design and its effectiveness in balancing competitive play. They showed that perceptions of fairness were informed by individual attributes (e.g., competitiveness and cooperativeness) regardless of whether players use mobility aids or not. The research underscored the system’s potential for creating co-located inclusive play spaces and various forms of physical skill training.

System Features and Configuration

The iGYM system revolutionizes inclusive play and exercise with projected augmented reality, enabling players of all mobility levels to compete in the same space. Key features include a patented peripersonal circle interaction game environment, a kick button, and adaptable game mechanics that allow balancing players’ individual differences in response time or mobility, optimizing the experience for every player.

Peripersonal Circle Interaction

Peripersonal Circle Interaction

Kick Button

Spatial and Technical Configuration

Spatial and technical configuration diagram

Impact

The iGYM system promotes novel inclusive play experiences by creating an environment where individuals with and without mobility disabilities can participate in physical activities. Its innovative use of interactive floor projection and adaptable game mechanics enhances social inclusion and promotes physical engagement among all players.

“I liked when it gets going faster, like a volley. That’s what makes regular air hockey enjoyable -the back and forth.”

– User Testing 01 (10 years old)

“It adapts it for you, and it’s easier. It’s basically adapted for everyone, even people with no physical disabilities.”

– User Testing 02 (8 years old)

“I liked the fact that it was a competition. I’m very competitive..”

– User Testing 03 (13 years old)

Play With Us

We are currently looking for partners to further develop the system. Please fill out the form if you are interested to support our mission and we will follow up with more details soon.





Research Team

Behind iGYM is an interdisciplinary team of designers, engineers, and human-computer interaction researchers at the University of Michigan, supported by consultants in business, technology, and rehabilitation.

Stamps School of Art & Design

Roland Graf

College of Engineering

Hun-Seok Kim

School of Information

Michael Nebeling

College of Engineering

Shyam Keshavmurthy, PhD

Computer Vision Engineer

Seth Andrew Warschausky, PhD

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Seong-Hee Westlake

Rehabilitation Engineer

Don Manfredi and Alisyn Malek

Innovation Partnerships

Betsy Howell

Physical Therapist

Moses Lee

Entrepreneur in Residence

Ruifeng Xu

Software Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering

Chiao Lin

Product Design, M.S. Information

Mann Gupta

Software Engineering, B.S. Computer Science

Ke Liu

Software Engineering, B.S. Computer Science

Enze Yuan

Software Engineering,  M.S. Computer Science

Hellen Tong

Product Design, M.S. Information

Estella Zhang Qiming

Entrepreneurship,  M.S. Urban & Regional Planning

Khush Kapadia

Physical Design, M.S. Design Science

  • Cyan Ma
  • Joanne Huang
  • Harper Ma
  • Ruotong Gao
  • Lynn Li
  • Renan Chen
  • Xin Ying Chew
  • Pallavi Benawri
  • Amy E. Whitesall
  • Sun Young Park
  • Emma Shpiz
  • Zixuan Li
  • Pengqi Lu
  • Priyanka Raju
  • Megan Freund
  • Yaqian Zhao
  • Luyao Gong
  • Dashiell Carichner

Supported by

University of Michigan Exercise & Sport Science Initiative

Umich EESI Logo

Contact

Please email us if you are interested to learn more about iGYM or fill out the form above if you’d like to join or support our mission.