ActiveTales

Inspiration

Inspired by the resilience of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore (MDAS) community and the wonder of story-driven games, we’re here to ensure that every user becomes the hero of their own tale.

Working under the Healthcare and Accessibility Tech, we recognised a significant gap in the tools available for this community. While many solutions focus on fitness or physical therapy in isolation, we envisioned something broader and richer, an app that combines physical therapy and occupational therapy to address the diverse needs of individuals with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and other mobility challenges. We designed ActiveTales to not only improve strength and mobility but also to help users develop fine motor skills, enhancing their daily independence and confidence.

Our inspiration didn’t stop at functionality. As enthusiasts of story-lore games, we wanted to offer more than a series of exercises or therapy routines. We wanted to bring entertainment and joy into the experience, turning therapy into an engaging adventure. With ActiveTales, users step into a story-driven journey where their progress unlocks new chapters, characters, and achievements. Each movement or fine motor skill improvement contributes to a larger narrative, transforming the therapeutic process into an exciting and rewarding quest.

On top of that, we have "a cosy hangout spot" for everyone, which is the community forum in ActiveTales! We know life with MD can sometimes feel isolating, so we created this space where users can share stories, swap tips, celebrate wins, or just have a friendly chat. It’s a place to make friends, find support, and feel part of a caring community. Plus, volunteers can join in too, making it easy to connect and share moments of joy together. It’s all about bringing people closer and making every day a little brighter!

What it does

ActiveTales is designed to make therapy an engaging and rewarding experience. Here's how it functions:

1. Daily Exercise Allocation
   Once users log in, they are presented with a personalised set of exercises tailored to their therapeutic needs for the day. These exercises are a mix of physical and occupational therapy, designed to target specific areas like strength, mobility, and fine motor skills.

2. Smartwatch Integration [In-house Hardware!]
   ActiveTales pairs seamlessly with a smartwatch to ensure every exercise is performed correctly and safely. The smartwatch tracks user movements, providing real-time feedback. Successful completion of exercises earns users points, creating an incentive to maintain proper form and consistency.

3. Points and Leaderboards
   The points collected not only encourage healthy competition through a leaderboard ranking system but also add a fun social element as users can compare their progress with others.

4. Unlocking Story Chapters
   Points also serve to unlock new chapters in an engaging, story-driven adventure. Inspired by lore games, these chapters immerse users in epic narratives, making every completed exercise a step closer to discovering the next part of the story.

5. Community Forum Recognising the social isolation often faced by persons with MD, ActiveTales includes a community forum. This space allows users to interact, share experiences, and build friendships, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

6. Volunteer Connections Volunteers can also join the platform, enabling them to connect directly with persons with MD. By clicking on a user’s profile, volunteers can initiate conversations, offer support, and create meaningful relationships, enhancing the social fabric of the community.

ActiveTales combines therapy, entertainment, and social interaction to provide a holistic experience. It not only aids physical and occupational development but also addresses the emotional and social challenges of living with MD.

How we built it

ActiveTales is built with C (hardware), HTML, CSS, JavaScript (software).

Challenges we ran into & What's Next for ActiveTales

Balancing Therapeutic Effectiveness with Engagement

Challenge: The primary goal of ActiveTales is to improve users' physical and occupational therapy outcomes. However, blending these therapeutic needs with an engaging, game-like experience can be tricky. There is a fine line between ensuring that exercises are medically sound and effective, while also making them fun and motivating.

Possible Solution: We can seek close collaboration with healthcare professionals to design exercises that are both effective for therapy and enjoyable for users. Constant user feedback and iteration would also be essential to fine-tune this balance.

Smartwatch Integration for Real-time Feedback

Challenge: Integrating ActiveTales with smartwatches to provide real-time feedback on movements can be technically challenging. Ensuring that the smartwatch accurately tracks user movements and provides feedback that is both helpful and motivating requires robust hardware and software integration.

Possible Solution: We can work with hardware manufacturers to fine-tune the compatibility and reliability of the smartwatch sensors. Ensuring the data from the smartwatch is used effectively in the app to give real-time feedback would be a key focus.

Educating Volunteers about Muscular Dystrophy

Challenge: While the community forum is designed for individuals with MD to socialise, volunteers who may not have prior knowledge about MD might struggle to provide the right kind of support. It's important to ensure that volunteers understand the challenges faced by people with MD and approach interactions with empathy and knowledge.

Possible Solution: We can include training or resources for volunteers to learn more about MD, the specific needs of individuals with the condition, and how to offer meaningful and sensitive support. This training could be integrated into the app itself, ensuring that volunteers are well-prepared to engage positively and appropriately with users.

What we learned

Through the development of ActiveTales, we gained a deeper understanding of during the problem research phase, which enriched our approach to addressing the needs of individuals with MD. In addition to this, we significantly enhanced our technical skills, particularly in coding features tailored for this community.

Moreover, this project has underscored the transformative power of technology in breaking down barriers and improving lives. In the past, individuals with MD often faced isolation with limited entertainment options, but with the integration of the app and smartwatch, they now have access to an engaging and interactive experience that enhances both their therapeutic and social well-being.

Built With

• alpine.js
• bcrypt
• c
• css
• esp32
• express.js
• html
• javascript
• tailwindcss