FUTUREGYM: A gymnasium with interactive floor projection for children with special needs

Abstract

Interpersonal interaction is one of the fundamental factors for successful inclusion in education for children with special needs, including children suffering from autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID). In order to increase opportunities for interpersonal interactions among children, an interactive school gymnasium called FUTUREGYM, with a large-scale, interactive floor projection system in a school setting is proposed. As part of this study, high performance projectors (approximately 545-inch of total screen size) and tracking cameras mounted on the ceiling were installed in the gymnasium of a special needs school; these devices facilitated overlaying of individual visual aids for children with special needs. Visual aids help these children to be aware of social cues, a behavior that is considered important for the development of social interaction. Group activities to be conducted in FUTUREGYM were designed through careful consultations with teachers at the school: (1) Group running, called Circle-Run, provides an opportunity to experience a behavior that requires coordination with others, and (2) A group exergame, called Constellation Game, provides a situation to trigger helping behaviors by requiring them to be aware of other players’ difficulties. The feasibility of these activities has been confirmed in this study through viability tests with the school’s children with ASD and/or ID.