Duchenne Parent Project Spain has funded the MOVit Game project led by Joan Lobo, Josep Maria Font and Daniela Tost from the Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CREB) of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), and in collaboration with the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (CSIC-UPC).

The project aims to develop an interactive gaming platform to promote the physical activity of people with Duchenne using the MOVit wheelchair. This wheelchair has as a differentiating fact that the direction and speed control is performed by the cyclic movement of the arms, instead of using a joystick, which contributes to the physical exercise of the patient. This project will be carried out by Janet van der Graaf (student of 4th year of Biomedical Engineering), Aleix Ricou (student of 4th year of Engineering in Industrial Technologies), who are doing their Final Degree Project, and by a researcher recently graduated in Aeronautical Engineering, Oriol Alís. Each of them has their own motivations, which they explain to us:

Janet explains: “As a future biomedical engineer, I am interested in bringing technology, new advances and innovations within the reach of society. I am convinced that with this project we will be able to give a new motivation to the children with Duchenne and we will work to make it that way”.

Aleix says: “With this project I have the opportunity to bring technology and everything I have been able to learn throughout the university to reality. A project that intends to help and entertain an invisible group in society and in the world of leisure and free time”.

Finally, Oriol says: “This project is a great opportunity for me, both as an engineer and affected (Becker Muscular Dystrophy). I have always believed that engineering is at the service of people, and this project can contribute to improving the quality of life for those of us in this situation and for our families”.