The application HTCT (Head Trunk Control Trainer) has been the designed in order to develop simple, accessible and innovative systems aimed at fostering motivation and participation of children affected with severe and mild-to-severe impairments.

HTCT is meant to support head and trunk postural support, an essential function in the participation to everyday life. Therefor the application is a precious tool not only for motor rehabilitation, but also in the field of social inclusion and empowerment.

The system is based on Microsoft Kinect, a technology that is used to evaluate the child trunk posture, to calculate the head and trunk incline and to estimate the achievement of the daily threshold established by the therapist through a starting calibration.

Following the child’s movements, the application produces a real time feedback by modulating and audio signal (the patient’s favorite song): the best music quality is reproduced when the child reaches the established threshold, working as a reward; on the other side, the audio signal gets degraded if he loses control, fostering an improvement in the body posture.

Moreover, the software allows the collection of data useful in supporting therapists in the clinical evaluation and in monitoring their progresses.

HTCT is involved in a pilot study at the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation of Gaslini Children Hospital – Genoa. The study is currently in its second phase (observational study).