Brainart - Interactive Table
(To display subtitles in videos: activate the subtitles button and then, from the settings icon, select "automatic translation," after which, choose the desired language). The main research focus of Brainart was on the interactive table (affectionately called "Il tablettone"\"Big Tablet"). The study involved 110 guests affected by Alzheimer's and other types of senile dementia in both Italian and Swiss facilities (a total of 10 facilities). The table remained in each facility for 4 weeks. We are very pleased with the results obtained, which show a significant increase in the wellbeing and quality of life of the participants involved in the experimentation. Another surprising result is the confirmed ability to learn and remember games over time (a paradox considering the pathology affecting these individuals). Finally, as evidenced by the video, the musical activity with the interactive table also had positive effects for the operators, thanks to their active and meaningful role during the work sessions.
In 2023, the experience was repeated in another 18 facilities within the territories of the provinces of Lecco and Monza/Brianza.
I thank Federica Spreafico for lending her voice in some of the musical games!
Videos by Johanna Worton.
(To display subtitles in videos: activate the subtitles button and then, from the settings icon, select "automatic translation," after which, choose the desired language).
Description
A interactive table capable of stimulating the cognitive abilities of patients through engaging serious games themed around music and art, ranging from exercises on the synchronization of sound and gesture to memory games, and including the reconstruction of musical sequences. This is the multitouch system developed as part of Brainart, the Interreg Italy-Switzerland project led by Crams in Lecco. Thanks to the involvement of partners such as the Need Institute in Milan, Ats Brianza, the Department of Health and Sociality of the Canton Ticino, the Vincenzo Vela Museum in Ligornetto (Mendrisio), and the Pro Senectute Foundation, the project has developed new methodologies to promote the social inclusion of individuals affected by dementia-related pathologies.
A project, Brainart, which aims not only to provide valuable opportunities for socialization and well-being to patients but also to record their reactions, allowing for subsequent analysis and understanding of the effects of the experimentation.
Stefano Fumagalli
"From a hardware perspective," explains Stefano Fumagalli, head of technological research for Brainart, "we have developed a case that can be easily transported, self-assembling, and containing all the instrumentation. Inside the device, there are 13 different serious games themed around music and art, designed to stimulate specific cognitive abilities based on requests from our scientists. In addition to this, there is also a management section for all the user data, allowing the tool to record useful information from session to session. These data will be studied by scientists and contribute to a final publication."
