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Alessa Dreixler und Tobias Heuer stehen im Finale des diesjährigen Microsoft Imagine Cups.

She’s allowed to fly to Seattle: Alessa Dreixler, Student of Aalen University, has won this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup with a virtual training environment for stroke patients. This could mean a lot of fame and a $50,000 prize money for her.

“I couldn’t believe it. I had to read the e-mail multiple times,” says Alessa Dreixler about the moment she received the invitation to the final round of the Microsoft Imagine Cup. The student of Aalen University and her project partner, Tobias Heuer, a computer science student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, beat with their Project “VRMotion” the other national winners in the semifinals and are flying to the “World Finals” in Seattle at the end of July. This makes them one of the 35 teams worldwide and gives them the chance to win $50,000 of prize money.

To achieve this they have to present their work to a jury of experts and need to convince them of their project with a practical test. The project named “VRMotion” is a virtual application that helps people who have suffered a stroke to learn everyday movements again. The idea for the project came when the two students experienced in their own environment what kind of problems stroke patients are facing. "We wanted to create something that makes it possible for the affected persons to work independently on their recovery," says Alessa Dreixler. By using a requirement analysis, [RMWhite1] in which they interviewed doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, they identified the needs and requirements for their project. "The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Especially the older patients experienced great pleasure with the virtual world," says Alessa Dreixler.

Background:

“Leap Motion” is the core element of Alessa Dreixler and Tobias Heuer’s idea. The special equipment scans the movements of the hand using infrared 300 times per second and transmits the scans to a specially written computer program. Within the virtual world there are different exercise programs available that allow the patients to train their motor activity independently. Simple exercises include the grasping of objects or the wiping of a dice from a table. Virtual games of darts or throwing balls at an airplane are more advanced exercise levels. "With the virtual exercises we create new incentives and extra motivation," Alessa Dreixler says about the playful exercise content. The program evaluates the individual exercises as they are carried out and creates a report on the progress of treatment at the end. With the help of the development editor the therapists can develop their own game concepts and exercises for their patients, even without prior programming knowledge.

VRMotion” is an effective supplement to the classical treatment of stroke patients.